The Rally+Rise 2021 NYC Primary Voter Guide

The 2020 election may have gotten all of the hype, but the 2021 NYC primary election is a BFD.

There is a lot at stake, from reimagining public safety to addressing affordable housing to a fair and just Covid recovery that helps out those who have been most impacted.

There are a lot of high-power positions up for grabs, including mayor and all 51 City Council seats. (And because of NYC’s demographics, for most of these races it’s really only the primary election that matters, since the winner of the Democratic primary will likely win the general election.)

Plus, there are changes to how the ballot literally looks, thanks to the introduction of ranked choice voting in NYC this year.

In other words: There’s a lot to sort through, but it’s all really important—and will determine what direction this city goes post-Covid.

So make your voting plan, research the candidates in your district, post about the election endlessly on social media so your friends know it’s coming up, and help make the NYC of your dreams.

Here’s what you need to know to get voting in New York City’s primary election:

What are the important dates?

May 28 is the deadline to register to vote in person or postmark your application.
June 2 is the deadline to change your address in person or postmark your application.
June 15 is the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot by mail.
June 12-20 is the early voting period.
June 22 is election day and the deadline to postmark your absentee ballot.

Who am I voting for?

Want to know what your ballot looks like ahead of time?

You can check out an example (warning: it might not have every single super-local race) at whoseontheballot.org or ballotpedia.org. We also really like electnyc.org, which not only has sample ballots, but also compiles info about every candidate running.

Trying to figure out why the ballot looks so different this year?

Three words: ranked choice voting. That means for most (but not all) races, you can rank up to five candidates. It’s the first time that a citywide race will have ranked choice voting, so if you’re confused or overwhelmed, that’s totally normal. This RCV explainer does a good job of showing you how it works, what the ballot looks like, and more.

The good thing about ranked choice voting is that it means that you can vote for “long-shot” candidates that you’re really excited about, without worrying that you’re throwing away your vote.

 Wondering what some of these seats actually mean?

  • Mayor: Basically the city’s Chief Executive, this person oversees more than 40 city agencies (from the police to education), has the power to propose—and veto!—legislation, and leads the budget for the city.

  • City Councilmember: Think of this as the city’s version of Congress—there are 51 members each representing a district within the city, and they have the power to introduce and pass legislation, they approve the city’s budget, and they have oversight power.

  • Comptroller: They’re the closest thing the city has to a Chief Financial Officer, and oversees how the city is spending its $$$.

  • Public Advocate: The city’s watchdog—who also steps in if the mayor is no longer able to serve their term. (Whoa.)

  • Borough President: Like a mini-mayor, and each borough gets a “beep.” (Get it?) They can introduce legislation, fund loads of projects, and play a big role in appointing members to community boards—which impacts everything from bike lanes to homeless shelters.

  • Manhattan District Attorney: The top prosecutor for the borough—and a big player when it comes to criminal and racial justice issues. Note: Ranked choice voting does not apply to this position, so make sure you only vote for one candidate.

  • Judges: Depending on where you live, you might see Civil Court (small claims up to $25,000, including tenant-landlord disputes) or Surrogate Court (cases involving wills, testaments, estates, and adoptions) judges on your ballot. TBH there’s usually not a ton of info about these candidates, even though they can serve up to 14 year (!!!) terms. (New Kings Democrats has a really insightful/infuriating explainer of why the system is messed up.)

  • District Leader: This is an unpaid leader of their borough’s Democratic Party, and not only do they vote on Democratic Party leadership (and therefore help set the priorities), but—more importantly—choose local judicial candidates and help staff poll sites. If you want more progressive local judges, you want to elect more progressive district leaders. (BTW: They’re sometimes listed as State Committee members.)

Want to know which candidates stand out to us?

Real talk: There are a lot of candidates running for a lot of different positions. And with ranked choice voting, some endorsements are happening a bit differently this year. (After all, you no longer have to pick just one candidate who you’d like to see elected.)

So we’ve pulled together a cheat sheet of who is getting which big endorsements from progressive orgs and leaders we respect and admire—and have bolded the candidates we’re most excited about, as well as noted if there are any candidates we recommend that you do not rank.

But this is just an overview to help you get started with your own research. Check out the candidates website, watch their debates (there have been a ton already, and many are posted to YouTube), check out their main policy proposals, and reflect on what’s most needed in your community right now. The future of NYC is in your hands, NBD.

MAYOR:
The City’s Meet Your Mayor tool is your ballot BFF—it shows you which candidates are most aligned with your positions, quiz-style. Seriously, it makes things easy, fun, and very straightforward. (If all the issues are important to you, try their ultimate ranked quiz!) And City & State is compiling all the mayoral endorsements.

  • Maya Wiley (AH, IBK, MTR 2, NYPAN, SPV 1, TJV, TP, WFP)

  • Dianne Morales (MTR 1, SR)

  • Kathryn Garcia (SP)

  • Art Chang (SPV 2)

  • Do not rank: Eric Adams, Andrew Yang, Ray McGuire

COMPTROLLER:

  • Brad Lander (IBK, MTR, NKD, NYCC, NYPAN, SP 2, SPV 1, SR, TJV, TP 2, WFP)

  • Corey Johnson (SP 1, TP 1)

  • Terri Liftin (SPV 2)

  • Reshma P. Patel (SPV 3)

  • Do not rank: Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, David Weprin

PUBLIC ADVOCATE:

  • Jumaane Williams (CA, MTR, NYCC, NYPAN, WFP)

BOROUGH PRESIDENT:

  • Bronx

    • Nathalia Fernandez (SPV)

    • Do not rank: Samuel Ravelo, Fernando Cabrera

  • Brooklyn

    • Antonio Reynoso (MTR, NKD, NYCC, SP 1, VNY, WFP)

    • Jo Anne Simon (SP 2, SPV 5)

    • Kimberly Council (SPV 2)

    • Pearlene Fields (SPV 3)

    • Khari Edwards (SPV 4)

  • Manhattan

    • Mark Levine (CA 1, SP)

    • Lindsay Boylan (CA 2, SPV 1)

    • Brad Hoylman (SPV 2)

  • Queens

    • Jimmy Van Bramer (MTR, SP 2, SPV)

    • Donovan Richards (SP 1)

  • Staten Island

    • Cesar Vargas (CA 1, MTR, SPV 1)

    • Lorie Honor (CA 2, SPV 2)

    • Brandon Stradford (SPV 3)

MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY:

  • Tahanie Aboushi (CA, NYPAN, TJV, WFP)

  • Alvin Bragg (SP)

  • Eliza Orlins (SPV)

  • Do not vote for: Tali Farhadian Weinstein

CITY COUNCIL:
Bookmark this spreadsheet ASAP. It shows every candidate running for City Council, the endorsements they’ve received, and (if you scroll all the way to the right), where they stand on key racial justice issues that the City Council would lead on.

We’ve also compiled a list of endorsements by orgs we respect—for all other races we’ve listed their endorsements above, but you can also click through the links below to see if they’ve endorsed in your City Council race.

JUDGES
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of info on many of these judges. Soft Power Vote has done some research—check out their spreadsheet before you do some googling of your own.

DISTRICT LEADER
Same as above—there’s not a ton of info out there on some of these candidates, so if you live in Manhattan or Staten Island and this role is on your ballot, do some research and check out Soft Power Vote’s guide.

Endorsements Key:
- AH = Amplify Her
- CA = Citizen Action
- DSA = NYC Democratic Socialists of America
- DWC = Downtown Women For Change
- IBK = Indivisible Nation BK
- MTR = Make The Road
- NKD = New Kings Democrats
- NYCC = New York Communities For Change
- NYPAN = New York Progressive Action Network
- RFS = Run For Something
- SP = Streets PAC
- SPV = Soft Power Vote
- SR = Sunrise NYC
- TJV = The Jewish Vote
- TP = Tenants PAC
- VNY = Vocal NY Action Fund
- WFP = Working Families Party

Note: If someone has a number listed after their endorsement, it means that the org did a ranked choice endorsement—1 means they were endorsed for the first spot on the ballot, 2 means they were endorsed for the second spot on the ballot.

How can I vote?

Want to vote early?

  • Early voting runs from June 12-20.

  • Your early voting location may be different than your election day voting location; you can look it up here.

  • All voters in New York City should have a received their voter card in the mail with a “Fast Pass Tag” featuring a scannable barcode—bring this card with you when you vote for contactless check-in!

 Want to vote by mail?

  • All New Yorkers are eligible to vote by absentee ballot this election.

  • To do so you must first request an absentee ballot—the deadline to postmark an absentee ballot application is June 15, and the deadline to apply for one in-person at your county’s Board of Elections office is June 21.

  • Details on how to request an absentee ballot in NY are at your county’s board of elections website—details on that process are here.

  • If you live in NYC, you can fill out an absentee ballot application online. Also new this election: New Yorkers can now track their absentee ballots.

  • To return your absentee ballot, you have three options:

    1) Mail it back in. Postage is not pre-paid, so you will need to add your own stamps. (The Board of Elections recommends three stamps, to be safe.)

    2) Drop it off at your Board of Elections office. If you drop it off, your ballot needs to be in the oath envelope—which you’ll need to sign and date—but does not need postage affixed.

    3) Drop it off at your early voting poll site or your election day poll site—both will have a dropbox at the information table. (In NYC, you can drop it off at any poll site within the five boroughs, FYI!) If you drop it off, your ballot needs to be in the oath envelope—which you’ll need to sign and date—but does not need postage affixed.

  • If you mail your absentee ballot back in, it must be postmarked by June 22 in order to be counted.

  • In New York, you can still vote in-person even if you’ve requested or already sent back your absentee ballot—only your in-person vote will count.

  • New this year: The Board of Elections must notify you if there is a problem with your ballot (say, you forgot to sign your ballot). You’ll most likely be receiving either a phone call or email—and once you do, you’ll have a limited time to “cure” (ie fix) it. So answer those unlisted numbers!

 Want to vote on election day?

  • Poll sites will still be open on election day. You can find your poll location at your county’s board of elections website.

  • If you live in NYC, you can look up your poll location here.

  • All voters in New York City should have a received their voter card in the mail with a “Fast Pass Tag” featuring a scannable barcode—bring this card with you when you vote for contactless check-in!