Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Elections

Elections

  • Campaign Finance Filings Show Candidates for Council Seats Being Vacated

    CityCouncil

    At The City Council (photo: Sofie Hecht for Gotham Gazette)


    With the latest New York City Campaign Finance Board filing deadline just passed, the 2017 city elections are beginning to take more clear shape. The races for Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough Presidents, and City Council members may be currently overshadowed by the presidential election, but the new city campaign finance filings further reveal who is planning to run for which seats in 2017 and the extent to which candidates for local positions have been successful in their fundraising efforts.

    While money isn’t

    ...
  • Can Trump Win New York? Inside the Numbers

    Trump Pence GOP 2

    Donald Trump & Mike Pence (photo via @GOP)


    Donald Trump’s nomination for President at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland was the culmination of a primary campaign that overturned precedent and defied expectations of the political class. Now, as he shifts his attention the general election, Trump has set his sights on another lofty goal, one which has been out of reach for Republicans for over two decades: winning New York, his home state.

    Recent polls, voter enrollment data, and primary turnout

    ...
  • Closed Primaries are Less Inclusive than Soviet Era Politics

     

    kaminsky voting april 2016

    State Senator Kaminsky voting


    I grew up in a country where most elections were fixed, voting made no difference, and the political process was a dull affair run by a party whose politics were as odious as its leaders. In that country I was able to live and vote without joining the aforementioned party, although I had to withstand poll workers knocking on my door until I exercised my civic right and duty.

    This past March, living in a country that prides itself on its democracy, I had to join a party in order to

    ...
  • New York Primaries are Closed, Repetitive and Costly

    cuomo voting 2015 machine

    Gov. Cuomo votes in 2015 (photo via Governor's Office)


    In April, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump won the Democratic and Republican New York presidential primaries, respectively. New York has a well-publicized and worsening voter turnout problem, and approximately one in four registered New York voters could have no say in the presidential primary outcomes even if they wanted to - other than by changing their party affiliation more than a year prior.

    New York is one of only ...

  • Former Informant, Out; Candidate Indicted on Voter Fraud, In

    Hector Ramirez petitioning

    Hector Ramirez petitioning in the Bronx (photo via Facebook)


    Bronx Assemblymember Victor Pichardo will no longer be facing former Assemblymember Nelson Castro, a onetime federal informant who helped dig up dirt on fellow electeds in an attempt to reduce charges he was facing for election-related perjury, in the upcoming Democratic primary.

    Instead, Pichardo will again be

    ...
  • New York Congressional Primary Results; Espaillat, Teachout Among Winners

    Espaillat presser

    Adriano Espaillat (photo: @EspaillatNY)


    New York voters chose congressional candidates in 13 primaries across the state on Tuesday, with seven of those contests taking place within New York City—all of which were Democratic. New York has 27 seats in the House of Representatives.

    While the current New York City congressional delegation consists of 11 Democrats and one Republican, a makeup that is unlikely to change this year, results from key primaries in three swing districts outside the city have set the stage for races that could factor

    ...
  • Espaillat Unveils Plan to Address Child Care Costs

    Espaillat news conference

    Sen. Espaillat (photo: @EspaillatNY)


    To address the city’s escalating affordability crisis, state Sen. Adriano Espaillat, Democratic candidate in the 13th Congressional District, is unveiling a proposal to increase the federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit.

    The announcement comes as the heated Congressional primary enters its final weeks. Espaillat’s campaign is announcing a series of policy papers in an attempt to separate itself in a race that has focused on political allegiances, polls, and fundraising. Other candidates vying to replace

    ...
  • New Yorkers Vote in Congressional Primaries June 28

    rangel voting congress new york

    Rep. Charles Rangel is retiring (photo via Rep. Rangel on Flickr)


    While many voters and most media are focused on the race for President, this year will also see all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 34 of the 100 U.S. Senate seats on the ballot. New York’s 27 seats in the House and one of its two Senate seats - the one held by Senator Charles Schumer -  will be voted on during June 28 primaries and the November 8 general election.

    In an odd - some say counterproductive and undemocratic -

    ...
  • Lobbying, in Albany, for Better Voting Laws

    vote better ny dalton political nyc votes

    Students in Albany to lobby for voting and registration reform (#VoteBetterNY)


    Before dawn on a cold and rainy May morning, about 175 New Yorkers gathered outside a building on Church Street, waiting to board a bus to Albany. Some had left their Staten Island and Queens homes as early as 4 a.m. to make departure on time, others had taken the day off work or school, all were there for the same reason: to meet with state lawmakers and convince them to modernize New York’s antiquated election laws.

    ...
  • Hearing Advances Reforms to City Campaign Finance System

    kallos computer

    Council Member Ben Kallos (photo: William Alatriste)


    As Mayor Bill de Blasio is mired in controversy over his fundraising activities and proximity to lobbyists, the City Council is moving on bills to reduce the possibility of ‘pay-to-play’ campaign financing and make significant tweaks to strengthen an already-robust public-matching system.

    The Council’s Committee on Governmental Operations held a hearing on Monday to examine ...

  • Takeaways from New York Presidential Primary Voting

    trump peace

    Donald Trump (photo: @realDonaldTrump)


    In the 2016 New York presidential primary, Hillary Clinton won the greatest portion of New York City’s Democratic vote share by a better margin than pundits expected, substantially increasing her votes in predominantly black communities from 2008 and also receiving solid support from a number of traditionally white, liberal areas.

    For Bernie Sanders, reports said he was trying to emulate the campaign that liberal upstart Zephyr Teachout ran in the 2014 gubernatorial primary, and expand the support she got in many of

    ...
  • Despite Concerns, BOE Commissioners Call De Blasio Referral Valid

    de blasio testifying

    De Blasio (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio and his allies are under investigation for using a common fundraising tactic employed in legislative races across the state. Risa Sugarman, the state Board of Elections enforcement counsel hand-picked by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, kick-started the investigation with a criminal referral to Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance. Now, as controversy swirls around the mayor, the degree to which he and his team exploited state election law could be what the case hinges on, experts

    ...
  • Decision Opens New York to Widespread Online Voter Registration

    schneiderman rally

    AG Schneiderman (photo via AG's office on flickr)


    The office of New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued an opinion on Tuesday concluding that online voter registration is permitted by state law.

    The opinion comes as a response to a request sent from Suffolk County to the Attorney General’s office in February for advice on whether implementing online registration, including the use of electronically handwritten signatures, would be allowed under state election law.

    Schneiderman’s go-ahead to

    ...
  • There's a Long List of Voting Reforms New York Can Pass

    voting AG april 2016 

    AG Schneiderman votes (photo via @AGSchneiderman)


    Voter participation has been on the decline across the country for decades now, but is especially poor in New York, where only 29 percent of those eligible cast their votes in the 2014 general elections for state-level positions, including Governor. Whether you measure by eligible or registered

    ...
  • New York Voting Results: Presidential Primary and Special Elections

    boe vote here sign

    image via the NYC BOE


    With New York relevant in the presidential primaries for the first time in decades and both major political parties coming into the state's vote with competitive races, much of Tuesday was dominated by problems with the New York City Board of Elections and criticism of New York State's antiquated voting rules.

    Even as New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer announced an audit of the city BOE and many New Yorkers complained about laws keeping them from casting their ballots, more than 2 million voters across New York State made their choices

    ...
  • Delegate Matters: How New York’s Presidential Primaries Actually Work

    sanders rally

    A Bernie Sanders rally


    For the first time in generations, both the Republican and Democratic parties are still engaged in extremely competitive presidential primary races as New Yorkers go to the polls. While everyone is eager to see which candidate on each side of the aisle earns the most votes on Tuesday, the statewide popular vote is not the only factor, or even necessarily the most important factor, in amassing the key prize: loyal delegates.

    Each party uses its own arcane system to apportion and select its bound delegates for the coming national

    ...
  • The Mayor’s Nonprofit Experiment and His Reelection Bid

    BdB speech arm reaching

    De Blasio (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    News recently broke of a long-running federal corruption investigation involving two businesspeople with ties to Mayor Bill de Blasio, including to a much-criticized nonprofit group established to push the mayor’s agenda. The wide-ranging investigation, which also involves high-ranking NYPD officials, has again placed a spotlight on the mayor’s fund-raising and his relationships with donors, especially those with business before the city, as allegations of a pay-to-play culture

    ...
  • Gotham Gazette 2016 Election Central

    vote sign road gov flickr

    Vote Today (via The Governor's Office on Flickr)


    2016 is a big election year in New York. Not only is there a national Presidential election, but as is the case every two years, all of the New York State Legislature is on the ballot in 2016. New Yorkers have four - yes, four - election days this year if registered with one of the two major political parties and living in a district with competitive primaries. There were presidential primaries in April, congressional primaries in June, and state legislative primaries in September. Now, all

    ...
  • The Week That Was in New York Politics, November 2-6

    week in review bus readers

    photo: Stanley Kubrick via Museum of the City of New York


    Gotham Gazette's Week in Review, Friday November 6

    PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Gov. Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio and others participate in solidarity march in Puerto Rico, via the governor's office on

    ...