Most New Yorkers don’t realize we’re in the middle of an election season, and who could blame them? With no citywide election and many uncontested races, only a small percentage of the city’s nearly five million registered voters will turn out to vote in the elections for city council.
Low voter turnout isn’t unique to off-off-year elections like this one, it even afflicts highly contested mayoral elections. In the 2021 mayoral election, only 23 percent of voters cast a ballot, compared to 62 percent turnout in the 2020 presidential contest.
