Early voting began over the weekend on Saturday June 17th, and it will run for one week through Sunday, June 25th. As a reminder, your early voting pollsite may be different than your election day pollsite — you can check this at findmypollsite.vote.nyc. The Primary Election Day is Tuesday, June 27th, and this is also the deadline to return absentee ballots. 

 

This election is significant due to a few factors, primarily the recently re-drawn election districts and the number of seats up for election. The 2020 U.S. Census provided updated population numbers across New York City, which required the city to undergo widescale redistricting to reflect our current population. As a refresher, redistricting is the process of drawing the lines of districts that are represented by public officials. When redistricting is properly conducted, it accurately reflects the racial diversity and updated population counts of communities and is used by legislators to equitably allocate representation in governing bodies, from city government to state legislatures and Congress.

 

Changes to district maps can alter the balance of power in local, state, and federal government — and because of the citywide redistricting, all 51 seats on the City Council are on the ballot. We know that the impact of these upcoming elections will be felt across the five boroughs, and as a member of the GoVoteNYC funder collaborative we are committed to supporting grassroots, neighborhood-based organizations and coalitions driving voter engagement and participation. 

 

Watch our conversation below with Wali Ullah, Community Education Coordinator at Muslim Community Network, Sanda Balaban, Co-Founder and Director at YVote, and Sonja Aibel, YVote Peer Leader to learn more.