Your Vote, Your Power

The Mayor leads city government, proposes the city budget, sets priorities for the city, signs City Council bills into law, and appoints the leaders of city agencies. The candidates for Mayor are:

• Andrew Cuomo (Fight and Deliver)
• Irene Estrada (Conservative)
• Joseph Hernandez (Quality of Life)
• Zohran Mamdani (Democrat, Working Families Party)
• Curtis Sliwa (Republican, Protect Animals)

Note: Eric Adams and Jim Walden will be listed on the ballot, but they have both dropped out of the race.

Pro tip: click here to check out this City & State NY list of which elected officials and organizations are endorsing each mayoral candidate.

The City Comptroller manages the city’s finances, audits city agencies and contracts, and advises the Mayor and City Council on the city’s financial condition. The candidates for City Comptroller are:

• Peter Kefalas (R)
• Mark Levine (D)
• Ismael Malave Perez (I)

The Public Advocate is a non-voting member of the City Council who introduces and co-sponsors bills. They also provide oversight for city agencies and investigate citizens’ complaints about city services. If the Mayor leaves office, the Public Advocate will act as Mayor until a special election is held. The candidates for Public Advocate are:

• Martin Dolan (I)
• Gonzalo Duran (R)
• Jumaane Williams (D)

The Borough President advocates for their borough, consults with the mayor on the annual budget, provides grants to local organizations, advises on rezoning, and appoints representatives to the City Planning Commission and Community Boards. You will only vote for the President of your Borough. The candidates for Borough President, by borough, are:

Members of City Council introduce and vote on bills, negotiate and approve the City’s budget, and monitor city agencies. You will only vote for City Council Member for your district.

Follow this link to compare City Council candidates for your district. Find your city council district here.

The District Attorney is the top prosecutor for their county and decides which cases to prosecute or not, oversees all criminal prosecutions, investigates and prosecutes criminal conduct. The candidates for District Attorney are:

(Read more about the Ballot Proposals here.)

Ballot Proposal 1, Amendment to Allow Olympic Sports Complex In Essex County on State Forest Preserve Land. Ballot Proposal 1 would change the state constitution to allow for the construction of skiing trails on protected forest preserve land. In exchange, the State must add 2,500 more acres of new forest land in Adirondack Park.

• “Yes” vote changes constitution to allow new trail creation.
• “No” vote leaves constitution unchanged.

Ballot Proposal 2, Fast Track Affordable Housing to Build More Affordable Housing Across the City. Ballot Proposal 2 would make two new processes to fast-track certain affordable housing projects.

• “Yes” vote makes two processes to fast-track affordable housing projects.
• “No” vote keeps the current seven-month review process with input from the Community Board, Borough President, CPC, City Council, and Mayor.

Ballot Proposal 3, Simplify Review of Modest Housing and Infrastructure Projects. Ballot Proposal 3 would create an expedited review process for smaller projects to change how land is used and to prepare the city for extreme weather.

• “Yes” vote creates a faster process for smaller zoning changes and other land use actions. It also removes the City Council’s review for most projects.
• “No” vote keeps the current seven-month public review process with input from the Community Board, Borough President, CPC, City Council, and Mayor.

Ballot Proposal 4, Establish an Affordable Housing Appeals Board with Council, Borough, and Citywide Representation. Ballot Proposal 4 creates an Affordable Housing Appeals Board that can reverse Council decisions to reject affordable housing projects.

• “Yes” vote creates the Affordable Housing Appeals Board.
• “No” vote keeps current review process for affordable housing projects, which ends in a final City Council vote.

Ballot Proposal 5, Create a Digital City Map to Modernize City Operations. Ballot Proposal 5 would make the Department of City Planning responsible for creating, maintaining, and digitizing a centralized City Map. The City Map legally defines street names, widths, and lines.

• “Yes” vote creates a centralized digital City Map that the Department of City Planning would maintain.
• “No” vote keeps current system of separate boroughs’ paper maps that are administered by each Borough President’s office.

Ballot Proposal 6, Move Local Elections to Presidential Election Years to Increase Voter Participation. Ballot Proposal 6 would move election dates for city offices to the same year as federal presidential elections.

• “Yes” vote moves city elections to the same year as federal elections, when permitted by state law.
• “No” vote keeps city elections held in odd-numbered years, on a different election cycle from federal presidential elections.

The Governor enforces state laws, administers the executive branch, proposes a state budget, and oversees state agencies. They can issue executive orders, propose legislation, and veto bills passed by the legislature. The candidates for Governor are:

• Jack Ciattarelli (Governor) and James Gannon (Lt. Governor) (Republican)
• Vic Kaplan (Governor) and Bruno Pereira (Lt. Governor) (Libertarian)
• Joanne Kuniansky (Governor) and Craig Honts (Lt. Governor) (Socialist Workers)
• Mikie Sherrill (Governor) and Dale G. Caldwell (Lt. Governor) (Democratic)

The State Assembly consists of 80 members, with two assembly members representing each of the 40 legislative districts. The state assembly works alongside the Governor to create laws and establish a state budget. Every seat is up for reelection. You will only vote for the state assembly member for your district.

Follow this link to find out who is running to be your Assembly Member.

You turned 18 years old this year or will turn 18 before October 25th. You moved. You changed your name. You can always simply check here.

Tuesday, November 4th, NY polls are open from 6am-9pm and NJ polls are open from 6am-8pm.

Early voting in New York State starts on October 25th and continues through November 2nd.

Click here to learn more about NY early voting and NJ early voting.

Registering to Vote: Yes, you will need ID if registering to vote for the first time. When registering to vote for the first time, you must provide your driver’s license number or state ID card number if you have one. 

• If you do not have either of these IDs, you can use the last 4 digits of your Social Security number (SSN). 

• If you do not have a SSN, then leave that space blank on your registration form. 

• If you don’t provide any of these, you will have to show an accepted form of ID the first time you vote. Click here to learn more.
  

Voting In-Person: No, you will not need identification to vote in-person. You may be asked to present ID only if you are voting for the first time. Click here to learn more.

New York State may require that you provide a reason in order to vote by mail. Absentee ballot voting does not require an excuse, but you will need to fill out an application.