This November, New Yorkers will vote yes or no on a ballot question that could upend the power dynamic in Albany. Once every 20 years, New Yorkers can vote on whether to hold a state constitutional convention.

The state constitution includes protections that go well beyond the U.S. Constitution: labor rights; care and aid for the needy; wilderness standards for the Adirondacks.

Holding a convention opens up the entire document for review and change, which is reason enough for progressive opponents like Mayor Bill de Blasio to oppose a convention. He said he’s worried wealthy special interests will hijack the reform process.

"In this environment, I greatly fear the negatives that could occur, and unfettered spending by powerful forces and I just don't think that's worth the risk," de Blasio said Monday at an unrelated press event.

Several public sector unions also oppose the convention. In New York City, District Council 37 and the United Federation of Teachers are among the most vocal.

"There's a lot of things in our state constitution that we think are important," said Michael Mulgrew, the UFT president. He called a convention a waste of state money, adding, "We already have a way of changing the state constitution without a convention."

That process requires a proposed amendment to pass two consecutive sessions of the state legislature with an election in between. Then the amendment would go before voters as a ballot measure. That means the soonest voters would vote on that proposed amendment passed this legislative session would be November 2019.

Supporters argue a convention is the only way to bring about important reforms that the legislature just won't tackle.

"They haven't dealt meaningfully with ethics, they haven't reformed the state finance policies that have been in effect since the 1840s, they haven't done anything with regards to education funding to make the system for education funding not a political football," said convention proponent Christopher Bopst, a lawyer and expert on the state constitution.

While a "no" vote ends this cycle, a "yes" vote would kick off a multi-year process that would lead to a convention in 2019.

Dick Dadey, head of Citizens Union, supports the convention. He said where people stand on this issue says a lot about how much they truly believe in reforming government.

"The institutional players like the unions and others know how to game the system to their advantage," said Dadey. "When you change the system, which is what we want to do, the people who have power, lose power."