Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Elections

Elections

  • As New York Votes, a Push to Allow 17-Year-Olds the Ballot Next

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    Assemblymember Robert Carroll at Monday's rally


    On the eve of Election Day 2017, a state Assembly member from Brooklyn held a press conference focused on voter engagement and turnout, but it wasn’t in support of his own candidacy -- he’s not up for reelection until next year -- or anyone else’s. Instead, Assemblymember Robert Carroll was talking about his push to allow 17-year-olds to vote.

    In the state capital of Albany, Carroll recently introduced a bill, the Young Voter Act, that would

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  • Bill De Blasio Easily Wins Reelection as Mayor of New York City

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    Mayor Bill de Blasio after casting his vote (photo: Samar Khurshid/Gotham Gazette)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio triumphed over his challengers on Tuesday to become the first Democrat to be reelected mayor of New York City since Ed Koch won a third term in 1985. De Blasio celebrated, promised more progress, and put his win into the context of a larger Democratic wave that took place on Tuesday in other places around the country. De Blasio declared a new goal for a second and final term: making New York City “the fairest big city in

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  • Malliotakis Comes Up Short in Long-shot Mayoral Bid

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    Nicole Malliotakis (photo via @NMalliotakis)


    Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis, the Republican nominee for mayor, lost her long-shot bid on Tuesday to the incumbent, Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat.

    The election’s outcome never seemed to be in doubt, with de Blasio holding significant leads in all the polls, a fundraising advantage, labor support, and the city’s overwhelmingly party registration margin. Beyond being in a city where registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans 6-to-1, Malliotakis also had to

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  • 2017 New York City General Election Results

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    (photo: Samar Khurshid/Gotham Gazette)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio won reelection on Tuesday, earning about two-thirds of the vote in another low-turnout election -- about 1,070,000 voters cast ballots in the mayoral race. De Blasio's fellow incumbent citywide Democrats, Comptroller Scott Stringer and Public Advocate Letitia James, also won reelection, each with about three-quarters of the vote.

    Among the most notable other votes cast in New York this Election Day, the constitutional convention ballot question -- proposal one on

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: 10 Things to Think About on Election Day

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    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    November 6, 2017 - Max & Murphy: Previewing the Election

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    On this pre-Election Day episode, we bring you a special video show, with Max & Murphy providing 10 things to think about as voters in New York City and across the state head to the polls on Tuesday. Watch the video below for the special show,

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  • Dissecting Mayor De Blasio's Record As He Seeks Reelection

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    Mayor Bill de Blasio & First Lady Chirlane McCray (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    As Mayor Bill de Blasio, a first-term Democrat, seeks reelection this fall, a close examination of his record is essential. De Blasio came into power promising to address inequlality in a variety of forms, including income, educational, policing, racial, and opportunity inequities he identified during his 2013 campaign. In this year's election de Blasio is running in part on his record, which is headlined by the

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  • Races to Watch on Election Day, Inside and Outside New York City

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    Rob Astorino, left, and George Latimer


    Welcome to Election Day 2017. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to sweep comfortably to reelection over six other candidates, including Republican challenger Nicole Malliotakis, an Assembly member from Staten Island, despite their efforts to paint him as an ineffective manager beholden to his campaign donors. Similarly, many of the city’s 51 City Council seats that are up for grabs are predetermined by a heavily Democratic electorate, but there are a few spirited city races heading into Election Day,

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  • De Blasio's Record on NYCHA

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    De Blasio, Olatoye & others in 2015 (photo: Demetrius Freeman/Mayor's Office)


    This article is part of a series on Mayor de Blasio's first term record as he seeks reelection this fall, in partnership with WNYC radio and City Limits. Find all pieces of the series here.

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  • De Blasio's Record on Budgeting and Fiscal Health

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    De Blasio during a budget presentation (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    This article is part of a series on Mayor de Blasio's first term record as he seeks reelection this fall, in partnership with WNYC radio and City Limits. Find all pieces of the series here.

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    Mayor

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Resetting the Mayoral Race after the Final Debate

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    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    November 3, 2017 - Max & Murphy: Resetting the Mayoral Race after the Final Debate

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    After the second and final mayoral debate among Bill de Blasio, Nicole Malliotakis and Bo Dietl, Max & Murphy break down the debate and the status of the race, while discussing what has made it a lackluster

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  • New York’s Con Con Ballot is Biased

    (sample ballot excerpt - image via NYC Board of Elections)


    When New Yorkers vote on Nov. 7 on whether to call a state constitutional convention, the question they will see on the ballot is: “Shall there be a convention to revise the constitution and amend the same?” This ballot text is the only form of convention related media that every voter will see immediately before voting—and when many voters are most impressionable.

    Unfortunately, this seemingly innocuous question is highly biased because it doesn’t specify whether it refers to the federal or New York state constitution. Close to 100% of

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  • Vote ‘Yes’ on Question 2 and Send Albany a Message

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    (photo: Edwin J. Torres/NYC Mayor's Office)


    This Election Day, New Yorkers have an opportunity to vote for ethics in government. You won’t see the words “anti-corruption” or “integrity” on the ballot, but make no mistake – these essential elements of trust in government are at the core of Ballot Proposal 2, which will be put before voters on November 7.

    Proposal 2 -- which can be found on the back of your ballot

    Mayoral Candidates Make Closing Arguments in Frenetic Final Debate

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    Dietl, de Blasio & Malliotakis on CBS


    The second and final mayoral debate of the general election, held Wednesday night, was largely a contest between Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat running for a second term, and Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis, the Republican nominee, as the third candidate on stage, independent Bo Dietl, often struggled to get a word in edgewise.

    As the incumbent, de Blasio was put on the spot several times during the hour-long debate -- on public safety, on the city’s homelessness crisis, on his ethics

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  • De Blasio's Record on Poverty and Inequality

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    Mayor de Blasio at an announcement (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    This article is part of a series on Mayor de Blasio's first term record as he seeks reelection this fall, in partnership with WNYC radio and City Limits. Find all pieces of the series here.

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  • Following Up with Comptroller Stringer on Several Debate Moments

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    Faulkner, left, and Stringer, at the Comptroller debate (photo via @NYCVotes)


    It appears that a relatively small number of people watched the lone debate in the election for New York City Comptroller, which occurred on Tuesday, October 17 between incumbent Democrat Scott Stringer and his Republican challenger, Michel Faulkner. It is one of three citywide races, along with those for Mayor and

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  • Voters Guide for the City's 2017 General Election

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    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    ELECTION DAY IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7 -- BE READY TO VOTE!

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    by Ben Max, Gotham Gazette
         

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  • Yes or No? Three Questions on the Back of Your November Ballot

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    (Image via NYC Board of Elections)


    This November, New York voters will have the opportunity to vote “yes” or “no” on three ballot questions, each important in its own way. While the Constitutional Convention -- question number one -- has soaked up most of the ballot initiative press, New Yorkers get to weigh in on questions concerning stripping pensions from corrupt public officials and utilization of some protected forest reserves for essential infrastructure projects.

    As Election Day approaches, familiarize yourself with the three ballot questions, and

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Akeem Browder, Aaron Commey & Mike Tolkin are Running for Mayor

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    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    October 23, 2017 - Max & Murphy: Three Candidates Running for Mayor

    3 mayorsJust about two weeks ahead of Election Day, November 7, we were joined on the podcast by three of the seven mayoral candidates who will appear on the ballot. Aaron Commey (left) is the Libertarian Party nominee; Akeem Browder (right) is the Green Party nominee;

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  • De Blasio's Record on Jobs and The Economy

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    De Blasio at a business ribbon-cutting (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    This article is part of a series on Mayor de Blasio's first term record as he seeks reelection this fall, in partnership with WNYC radio and City Limits. Find all pieces of the series here.

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    In the four years since Mayor Bill de Blasio took

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  • De Blasio’s Record on Ethics and Transparency

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayor's Office)


    This article is part of a series on Mayor de Blasio's first term record as he seeks reelection this fall, in partnership with WNYC radio and City Limits. Find all pieces of the series here.

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  • Looking Back, and Ahead, with Women Who Lost City Council Races

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    Pia Raymond at the West Indian Day Parade (photo: @piaraymondnyc)


    This fall, in races around the city, several qualified female candidates ran in hotly-contested Democratic primaries for open seats being left by term-limited City Council members, while others attempted to unseat incumbents seeking reelection. The September votes -- largely determinative in an overwhelmingly Democratic city -- took place against the backdrop of new and intense attention on the gender imbalance in the City Council, where men greatly outnumber women.

    Elections results signal that the January

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Analyzing the Public Advocate & Comptroller Debates

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    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    October 18, 2017 - Max & Murphy: Analyzing the Public Advocate and Comptroller Debates

    brigid at debate nyc votesThe lone public advocate and comptroller debates of the election cycle occurred on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Brigid Bergin of WNYC radio (pictured, middle) was one of the panelists asking questions at

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  • Comptroller Debate Focuses on Stringer's Record

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    Michel Faulkner, left, and Scott Stringer at Tuesday's debate


    Echoing more the calm and substantive public advocate debate from Monday than the rowdy, unproductive October 10 mayoral debate, on Tuesday evening the Democratic and Republican candidates for comptroller, incumbent Scott Stringer and Michel Faulkner, respectively, met for their sole debate ahead of Election Day, November 7.

    The race to be the city’s chief fiscal officer has, like the public advocate contest, been a sleepy one, with the incumbent Democrat

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  • Public Advocate Debate Shows Stark Differences Between James and Polanco

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    James & Polanco at their debate (photo: @NYCVotes)


    Public Advocate Letitia James, a Democrat running for reelection, squared off against her Republican opponent, J.C. Polanco, in a friendly yet competitive debate on Monday that highlighted substantive differences, and some shared opinions, between the two candidates on a range of policy issues. Given the race features an incumbent, the debate centered in large part on James’ record as public advocate over the last four years, especially her

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  • It’s Not Too Late to Start Paying Attention to the City Elections - Here’s How

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    (image: NYC Votes)


    If you’re one of many New Yorkers who have not been paying much attention to this year’s city elections, don’t worry, there’s still time to get up to speed and make informed decisions on Election Day, November 7.

    Tuesday, October 24, marked two weeks until that opportunity to vote, and after only about 14% of registered Democrats went to the polls in the September mayoral primary, it would be good for the city’s civic health if more voters cast ballots in November. (About 24% of

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