Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Elections

Elections

  • Brooklyn Candidates Say Democratic Party Leaders Booted Them from Ballot for Not Gathering More Signatures During Pandemic

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    Christina Das and John Wasserman collecting petition signatures in March (Wasserman's Facebook)


    Two Brooklyn candidates say their names were removed from the June ballot for party positions in retaliation for pushing back against local Democratic officials asking them to canvass during the pandemic as one of them experienced coronavirus-like symptoms.   

    John Wasserman and Christina Das — who were running for reelection as 42nd Assembly District Alternative Judicial Delegate and Judicial Delegate, respectively — believe they were kicked

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  • Cuomo Orders All Voters Get Absentee Ballot Applications and Polls Open for June Elections, While Presidential Primary Canceled

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    All voters will get an absentee application for the June elections (photo: Kevin P. Coughlin/Governor's Office)


    Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday, April 24 signed an executive order mandating that the State Board of Elections send every registered voter in the state an absentee ballot application with paid postage to facilitate voting in elections slated for June 23 without increasing the risk of

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  • Questions and Concerns About Potential Shift to Vote-By-Mail as New Yorkers Await Further Action from Cuomo

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    Voting in New York is undergoing major shifts, with more possibly to come (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    Amid reports that Governor Andrew Cuomo plans to allow or require voting by mail for all New Yorkers in primary and special elections set for June 23, government reform advocates have raised concerns that the measure could end up adversely affecting the election, while the State Republican Party has promised to sue if the governor follows through.

    The coronavirus pandemic has forced several delays in the state’s election calendar and in-person voting

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  • New York's Smaller Political Parties Must Quickly Meet New Ballot Thresholds

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    Gov. Cuomo appears interested in seeing the demise of New York's smaller political parties (photo: New York Democratic Party)


    Included in the bills to approve a state budget for the new fiscal year beginning April 1 was the creation of a new campaign finance system with a public-matching program, lower individual contribution limits, and various other changes to campaign finance law. But the controversial inclusion of changes to ballot thresholds could prove to be a poison pill, not for the law but for the several minor political parties

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  • How 2021 Mayoral Candidates Have Initially Responded to Coronavirus Crisis One Will Inherit

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    Three of the leading 2021 mayoral candidates (photo: Gotham Gazette)


    It took merely three weeks from the first case of the coronavirus being confirmed in the city to thousands of New Yorkers testing positive for the virus. The scale of the outbreak has presented an emergency of a scope that the city has perhaps never before faced. The aftermath of the crisis will be felt well into the future and in 2022, the effects it will have on the city’s people, its economy, and its politics will be inherited by whoever takes the helm at City Hall.

    Next year, Mayor Bill de Blasio will in

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  • New Queens Borough President Special Election Date - Same as Party Primaries - Causes Confusion for Candidates, Officials

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    (l-r top) Richards, Crowley, Constantinides, (bottom) Quinn, Yin, Miranda


    After being postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak, the Queens Borough president special election was rescheduled to take place on June 23, causing broad confusion among the candidates running for the seat and likely a logistical headache for election administrators since a separate primary for the position is also set for the same day.

    The special election, which was triggered when Queens Borough President Melinda Katz was elected the borough’s district attorney, was originally

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  • Offering Different Visions for Queens, Borough President Candidates Face New June Special Election

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    Council Members Constantinides, left, & Richards (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases skyrocketed in the city this month, Mayor Bill de Blasio decided to cancel the special election for Queens Borough President that was scheduled to conclude March 24.

    Early voting had already begun in the special election to fill a vacancy that was created when the former officeholder, Melinda Katz, was elected Queens District Attorney. A spokesperson for the mayor said that “pending

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  • Queens Borough President Special Election Set To Go On Despite Coronavirus

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    (photo: Edwin J. Torres/Mayoral Photo Office)


    As more cases of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, are confirmed in New York, including a rising number of people testing positive in New York City, neither Governor Andrew Cuomo nor Mayor Bill de Blasio seems inclined to reschedule elections that are on the horizon.

    Each the governor and the mayor has declared a state of emergency for their jurisdiction and, along with other officials, put a number of restrictions in place to try to limit the spread of the virus. CUNY and SUNY are set to suspend in-person

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Breaking Down the Queens Borough President Special Election

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    Queens is the world's borough - and there'll soon be a new borough president (photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)


    March 11, 2020 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Breaking Down the Queens Borough President Special Election

    chrisy chung david f brand 150There's a Queens Borough President special election fast approaching! Early voting starts Saturday, March 14, and election day is Tuesday,

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  • 'Go Big or Go Home': Dianne Morales Goes for the Top Job in New York City

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    Dianne Morales, mayoral candidate, at the Women's March (photo: @Dianne4NYC)


    Dianne Morales, a Brooklyn native and, until recently, nonprofit executive, has never run for elected office before but is seeking to become the next mayor of New York City.

    “I grew up in this city and spent my last 30 years helping communities to overcome poverty through a variety of different ways,” Morales said during a recent appearance on the Max & Murphy

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Mayoral Candidate Dianne Morales

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    Mayoral candidate Dianne Morales at a recent event (photo: Dianne.nyc)


    February 5, 2020 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Mayoral Candidate Dianne Morales

    Dianne Morales joined the show to discuss her candidacy for Mayor of New York City. Running in the 2021 Democratic primary, Morales recently stepped down from her long-time job as CEO of Phipps Neighborhoods in the Bronx to campaign full-time. On the show, she discussed the reasons she decided to run and what her campaign will focus on, among other things.

    Listen to the

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  • Push Begins to Educate New Yorkers About Ranked-Choice Voting Ahead of 2021 Implementation

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    Eric Adams, Susan Lerner, and Alicka Ampry-Samuel, right (photo: @AlickaASamuel41)


    A push is now underway to ensure voters are educated about the new ranked choice voting system New York City will be adopting for some elections starting in 2021, and it is being driven by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a top contender in the mayoral race where the new format will first be tested.

    At a press conference Wednesday in front of New York City Board of Elections headquarters in Lower Manhattan, Adams, along with Brooklyn City Council Member Alicka

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Mayoral Candidate Loree Sutton

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    (photo: Mayor's office)


    February 5, 2020 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Mayoral Candidate Loree Sutton

    Loree Sutton, a retired brigadier general and recently-departed commissioner of the city's Department of Veterans' Services, joined the show to discuss her campaign for mayor. Sutton, running in the 2021 Democratic primary, discussed the reasons she's running, her critiques of Mayor de Blasio, and much more.

    Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think -- we're on Twitter ...

  • Ballot Set for Queens Borough President Special Election After Unprecedented 'Lottery'

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    Queens BP special election is March 24 (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    In low-turnout and low-information elections, like the typical special election in New York City, the prominence of a candidate’s name on the ballot can go a long way -- and that depends largely on the order in which the candidates are listed. Traditionally the subject of gaming by campaigns, for the March special election to name a new Queens Borough President, the order was determined by an unprecedented method: random draw.

    “Three candidates filed simultaneously so the order of

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  • Deadline for New York Voter Party Enrollment Change is Rapidly Approaching

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    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    New York State voters who wish to cast their ballots in the upcoming April presidential primary and combined June congressional and state primary elections have until February 14 to enroll in the party of their choice.

    New York holds closed primaries, where only voters registered with a party affiliation can vote for their party’s nominee to the general election. This system is designed to prevent so-called “party raiding,” where members of one party vote in another party’s primary elections to skew

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  • After Successful 2018, Empire State Indivisible Backs Initial Trio of Progressives in 2020 Races

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    Empire State Indivisible activists


    The 2018 elections saw a sweeping victory for Democrats, as they recaptured the House of Representatives, in part thanks to victories in New York, where the party also took full control of the state Legislature for the first time in nearly a decade. The state election saw several moderate Democrats, who had comfortably worked with Republicans for years, swept out of power and replaced with a new cohort of progressives buttressed with grassroot activist support, while several suburban swing districts went from red to

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  • January 2020 City Campaign Cash Roundup: Races for Mayor, Comptroller, Borough Presidents

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    (photo: Mayor's Office)


    Candidates running for local office filed their latest campaign finance disclosures with the New York City Campaign Finance Board this week, showing their fundraising and expenditures from the last six months, and cumulative numbers for the 2021 election cycle.

    Next year’s election is shaping up to be highly competitive and consequential, with two of three citywide elected officials, four of five borough presidents, and 35 of 51 City Council members facing term limits. The city will elect a new mayor and comptroller for the first

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  • Ahead of 2020 Elections, Cuomo Signed Affidavit Ballot Bill That Roiled Queens DA Recount

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    (photo: Governor's Office)


    In the final weeks of 2019, Governor Andrew Cuomo quietly signed a bill changing the way affidavit ballots are counted, an issue that roiled New York City last summer during the controversial recount in the Queens District Attorney Democractic primary. Borough President Melinda Katz, who had Cuomo’s endorsement, eventually prevailed over public defender Tiffany Cabán by just 60 votes, with hundreds of potential votes not counted -- votes that may have been counted had the governor signed the affidavit ballot bill into law

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  • Lander Pledges Neutrality in Crowded Brooklyn City Council Race to Succeed Him

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    Council Member Lander, right, with Shahana Hanif (photo: @ShahanaFromBK)


    New York City Council Member Brad Lander, a Democrat who represents parts of Brooklyn, has pledged to remain neutral in the crowded race for his current seat, which he’ll vacate at the end of 2021. Lander cannot seek reelection because of term limits and has declared a run for city Comptroller.

    Council District 39, where Lander has served since 2010, covers some of the highest voter turnout areas of the city and includes the neighborhoods of Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Gowanus, Park

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  • Turnout, Ballot Questions, & Dropoff: How New York City Voted in 2019

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    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    A year after the 2018 election cycle, when insurgent candidates and heightened political participation helped drive a wave of New Yorkers to the polls, voter turnout in the city this fall continued the trend. While still low as a percentage of registered voters, the 15 percent turnout was far higher than previous off-year elections.

    While many attribute the recent increases in voter participation to a Trump effect, the particulars of this year’s city ballot, including key items not present in the corresponding

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  • After Ballot Proposal Spending, Council Member Eyes Expansion of Independent Expenditure Disclosure

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    One PBA IE on 2019 ballot question 2 (photo via Campaign Finance Board filing)


    Just after an election where the issue became especially apparent, a New York City lawmaker is planning to introduce legislation to close a loophole that has allowed independent expenditure committees to shield donors when they spend money to sway voters on ballot proposals. The potential change in city law would bring certain donor disclosure rules in line with state regulations and extend other city regulations to what is already required for political spending on candidates by

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Analyzing the 2019 Election Results

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    (photo: @RankTheVoteNYC)


    November 6, 2019 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Analyzing 2019 Election Results

    PodcastThe results are in! Voter turnout was higher than expected, Jumaane Williams was reelected, Melinda Katz elected, ranked-choice voting is coming to New York City, and more. On this episode, the hosts break down the 2019 election results, discuss the first early voting session, look ahead to the next

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  • Securing Two More Years as Public Advocate, Williams to Keep Pushing De Blasio on Housing, Policing

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    Jumaane Williams (photo: @nycpa)


    Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a Democrat, easily won his reelection bid on Tuesday, beating Republican Joseph Borelli, a City Council member from Staten Island, and Libertarian Party nominee Devin Balkind. With about 723,000 votes counted and 90% of election precincts reporting at midnight, Williams had received 78% of the vote (563,000 votes) to Borelli's 20% (144,400) and Balkind's 2% (14,500).

    Williams previously represented Brooklyn in the New York City Council and was first elected to the public advocate’s office

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  • Promising Reform and Independence, Melinda Katz Elected Next Queens District Attorney

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    Melinda Katz (photo: Queens Borough President Melinda Katz)


    Queens will get a new district attorney for the first time in nearly three decades as Democrat Melinda Katz won the seat on Tuesday with an overwhelming 75% of votes over Republican Joseph Murray, who received 24% of the vote (about 1% of the more than 184,000 votes were write-ins). Katz will be the first newly-elected Queens DA after former District Attorney Richard Brown died in May. Brown had been in office nearly 30 years.

    After squeaking out a primary win in a recount

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  • Williams Remains Public Advocate; Katz Next Queens DA; Ranked-Choice Voting on Its Way; & More: Election Results 2019

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    (photo: Gotham Gazette)


    After about 60,000 New York City voters took advantage of the first early voting period in city history, albeit during an especially quiet electoral year, more than 650,000 others went to the polls on Election Day 2019, providing mostly expected results and approving multiple controversial ballot proposals to change city elections and governance. This year provided a helpful initial test run for early voting and all that goes with it, such as electronic poll books and a lot of poll-worker training, before what is expected

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