Turning over a ballot in New York state on Tuesday, voters will be asked to approve or reject Proposition 1, or the Equal Rights Amendment to the state constitution. But what they see on the ballot is a boiled-down version of what voters will actually be asked to approve.

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Text on the ballot

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“Amendment to Protect Against Unequal Treatment: This proposal would protect against unequal treatment based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity and pregnancy. It also protects against unequal treatment based on reproductive healthcare and autonomy.

“A ‘YES’ vote puts these protections in the New York State Constitution.

“A ‘NO’ vote leaves these protections out of the State Constitution.”

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Board of Elections explanation

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The state Board of Elections gives an explanation for the “Text of Proposal Number One, An Amendment” online at https://elections.ny.gov/2024-statewide-ballot-proposal.

“Concurrent Resolution of the Senate and Assembly proposing an amendment to section 11 of article 1 of the constitution, in relation to equal protection

“Section 1. Resolved (if the Assembly concur), That section 11 of article 1 of the constitution be amended to read as follows:

“Section 11. a. No person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws of this state or any subdivision thereof. No person shall, because of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, creed [or], religion, or sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy, be subjected to any discrimination in [his or her] their civil rights by any other person or by any firm, corporation, or institution, or by the state or any agency or subdivision of the state, pursuant to law.

“b. Nothing in this section shall invalidate or prevent the adoption of any law, regulation, program, or practice that is designed to prevent or dismantle discrimination on the basis of a characteristic listed in this section, nor shall any characteristic listed in this section be interpreted to interfere with, limit, or deny the civil rights of any person based upon any other characteristic identified in this section.

“Section 2. Resolved (if the Assembly concur), That the foregoing amendment be submitted to the people for approval at the general election to be held in the year 2024 in accordance with the provisions of the election law.

“Explanation — Matter in underscored (bold on this page) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted.”