Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

nonpartisan elections

nonpartisan elections

  • After Another Low-Turnout, Uncompetitive Mayoral Election, Renewed Calls for Nonpartisan Elections that Eric Adams Once Supported

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    Mayor-Elect Eric Adams (photo: @ericadamsfornyc2021)


    When Mayor Michael Bloomberg put the prospect of nonpartisan or "open" primary elections before voters in 2003, Eric Adams was a vocal supporter of the shift. This year, when Adams narrowly won the Democratic primary and, in part thanks to Democrats' overwhelming voter enrollment advantage, sailed to victory in the general election to become the next mayor himself, he's been much quieter on the topic. That's because he no longer supports it.

    When asked in a questionnaire from good

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  • Commission Failure Shows Need for One True Fix for New York Elections

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    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    Looking at the plan from the state campaign finance commission, anyone who’s had even a passing interest in New York politics is left either scratching their head or gritting their teeth (maybe both). It’s no surprise that the aspects of the commission’s just-completed work that have provoked the most vociferous opposition and passionate debate have nothing whatsoever to do with public campaign financing. On the left and on the right, activists, lawmakers, and good government groups are decrying the elements of the plan

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