On November 2nd, New Yorkers will head to the polls to elect a new mayor. The campaign cycle has relaxed a fair amount since the June 22nd primary, in which Eric Adams narrowly defeated a split field of candidates to get the Democratic nomination.
Eric Adams is a retired NYPD Captain, former State Senator, and former Brooklyn Borough President who is being challenged by Republican nominee, conservative radio host and right-wing activist Curtis Sliwa. Adams and Sliwa are the two candidates representing the two major political parties, Adams is a moderate democrat and Sliwa is a conservative republican.
Neither candidate is in favor of defunding the police. “If we are for SAFETY – we NEED the NYPD!” reads Adam’s campaign site, whereas Sliwa is asking people to sign a “Refund the Police” petition. Adams is running a very moderate campaign – his Government Plan focuses on “closing budget gaps” and “eliminating waste,” which are both typically the goals of conservative politicians.
Adams is almost guaranteed to become the next Mayor of New York City. In the democratic primary Adams received roughly 400,000 votes compared to Sliwa’s 40,000 in the republican primary. Adams biggest roadblocks to the mayorship were the ranked choice voting system and democratic primary, both of which he has already overcome.
There will be several other candidates on the ballot from other parties;
- William Pepitone (Conservative Party)
- Catherine Rojas (Party for Socialism and Liberation)
- Quanda Francis (Empowerment Party)
- Raja Flores (Humanity United Party)
- Skiboky Stora (Out Lawbreaker Party)
- Fernando Mateo (Save Our City Party)
- Stacey Prussman (Libertarian Party)
Ballot Measures
This election New Yorkers will be asked to vote on ballot measures pertaining to a wide range of issues. There are five ballot measures:
- Amend the portions of the New York Constitution that relate to the way district lines for congressional and state legislative offices are determined.
- Amendment to the New York Constitution that would establish the right of each person to clean air and water and a healthful environment.
- Amendment would delete the current requirement that a citizen be registered to vote at least ten days before an election and would allow the Legislature to enact laws permitting a citizen to register to vote less than ten days before the election.
- Amendment would delete from the current provision on absentee ballots the requirement that an absentee voter must be unable to appear at the polls by reason of absence from the county or illness or physical disability.
- Amendment would allow New York City Civil Court to hear and decide claims for up to $50,000 instead of the current jurisdictional limit of $25,000.
If you’d like to learn more about these ballot measures – information is available through New York State.
Click here to find your voting location.