Definitions
What is a primary election?
An election used to narrow the field of candidates, think basketball or soccer playoff games which decide which team plays in the final.
What % of eligible NYC voters are registered to vote?
90%
When did Native Americans win the right to vote?
1924 - This is 54 years after the 15th amendment was passed granting citizens the right to vote regardless of race – 1924 was when the US admitted Native Americans born in the US to full US citizenship
What is a closed primary?
Only registered party members can participate in a political party's primary election.
In New York, the winner of a primary election for a statewide or federal election is the candidate who receives the greatest number of votes, even if he or she does not win more than 50 percent of votes cast.
What % of NYC voters turned out to vote in the last local primary election in 2021?
In the 2021 June primaries, only 26.5% of eligible New Yorkers cast a ballot
And even less people voted in the 2021 general election: 23.3%
What is early voting?
In addition to election day, New York State allows people to vote early, including on Saturday and Sunday. The location of where people will vote will be different if they vote early then if they vote on election day.
What is ranked choice voting?
New York City uses ranked choice voting for its elections. This system requires candidates to win more than 50% of the votes cast. Each voter gets to rank in order of preference 5 candidates. We will play a ranked choice voting game a bit later to show how ranked choice voting works.
What % of NYC voters turned out to vote in the last presidential general election in 2020?
61.9% (per Campaign Finance Board)