Bringing New Yorkers to the Ballot Box

In a city that prides itself on energy and participation, New York’s civic pulse too often flatlines in local elections. In heavily Democratic cities like New York, the Democratic primary tends to be the decisive contest. Yet only one in five registered voters cast a ballot in June’s primary—and turnout was even lower in 2021 and 2013. As a result, a handful of voters choose the leaders for millions.

The margins of victory tell an even starker story. In 2025, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani secured the Democratic mayoral nomination with 573,169 votes, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo by just 129,940 votes — 2.5 percent of the city’s overall electorate. Four years earlier, Mayor Eric Adams beat second-place Kathryn Garcia by less than 0.13 percent of all registered voters. These are not tidal waves of public mandate, but rather, tiny ripples that decide the fate of an entire metropolis.

In race after race, barely a fraction of New Yorkers participate. As a result, small factions of often highly organized and ideological voters end up deciding the outcomes of elections and city government reflects the will of the few rather than the positions of the many.

If we want a more representative, responsive democracy, we must rebuild its architecture from the ground up. This can start with three reforms to dramatically expand voter participation: moving city elections to even years, adopting open primaries, and piloting mobile voting. Together, these changes would modernize how New York votes and encourage a new wave of civic engagement.

Move City Elections to Even Years

One promising and active proposal from the 2025 NYC Charter Revision Commission would align municipal elections with the general election cycle and move citywide races into even-numbered years. Right now, many local races take place in odd years or off cycles when turnout is lowest. While less than a quarter of registered voters participated in the general election for mayor in 2021, more than 60 percent voted in the 2024 presidential election.

New York could capture greater participation by aligning with federal or statewide elections. This November, the proposal will be offered to voters as a ballot question, allowing the public to weigh in directly. It could be the single most effective turnout reform in decades if passed.

Adopt Open Primaries

New York’s closed primary system currently locks out more than one million independent voters from participating in the highly consequential Democratic primary. The Charter Revision Commission considered, but ultimately shelved, a proposal for open primaries.

In an open primary, all voters can vote for any candidate regardless of party registration. The top two finishers then advance to the general election. This structure encourages broader participation, incentivizes candidates to court moderates, and dilutes extreme factional control. In a city where nearly one in four voters is unaffiliated, open primaries would transform civic exclusion into civic empowerment and give independents a real stake in City Hall. 

Pilot Mobile Voting 

In an age when we manage our finances, health care, and work from a phone, the requirement to stand in a physical line to cast a ballot feels antiquated. The logistical friction silently excludes and disenfranchises people who work long hours, have caretaking responsibilities, or face mobility challenges. To lower that barrier, NYC should pilot mobile voting via a secure, verifiable app ballot option during local elections.

Some jurisdictions have already experimented with mobile voting, combining end-to-end verifiability and auditing to maintain integrity and security. The goal is not to eliminate in-person polling places, but to engage voters who would participate if it were as easy as tapping an app. Over time, with proven security, mobile voting could become a mainstream channel, and NYC can lead the nation in this innovation.

Reimagine Civic Engagement

New York has always led cultural and technological revolutions. It can also lead a democratic one. Aligning election years, opening primaries, and modernizing how we vote would restore faith in a system that too often feels closed and obsolete. By making voting easier and more meaningful, we can turn apathy into agency and transform local democracy and government.