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Everything you need to know about the 2021 election in NYC

October 27, 2021 By Rachel Holliday Smith, THE CITY
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Logo for THE CITYThis article was originally published on by THE CITY.

Voting wraps up in New York in a week. Did you vote already? Great! If not, read on.

Early voting runs from now through Halloween: Sunday, Oct. 31. And Election Day — the last day to vote — is next Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Find your poll site and sample ballot here, and look twice: Your early voting site may differ from your election Day site.

Here’s our guide on everything you need to know before heading to the polls, plus an update to our popular “Meet Your Mayor” quiz with a final showdown: Adams vs. Sliwa.

And don’t forget about those five ballot proposal questions!

How many stamps do you need on an absentee ballot?

Answer: Officially, just one. But local voting advocates say use two, to be safe.

Absentee ballots can be long, and at times a bit heavier than a typical piece of mail. The Post Office’s policy is to deliver election mail, including ballots, as First-Class Mail regardless of the postage affixed to them.

The city Board of Elections says for absentee ballots in this year’s General Election, you need just one stamp. “One stamp is sufficient,” Valerie Vasquez, a BOE spokesperson, told THE CITY.

But NYC Votes, the voting education arm of the city Campaign Finance Board, recommends two stamps for a few reasons, a spokesperson there said.

First, the group has heard from voters in the past who have had absentee ballots returned to them — often without explanation, so it is unknown whether postage was the factor. Second, different districts in the city may have longer or shorter ballots, depending on how many contests and candidates appear.

More paper means heavier ballots and, perhaps, more postage needed.

So, NYC Votes says, out of an abundance of caution, stick your ballot with two stamps. (Or even better if you have the time, as a Civic Newsletter reader points out, take it to the Post Office and have it weighed — you may save about 40 cents.)

Of course, you have the option to ditch postage altogether. Reader Judi K. asked us: Can you drop off your ballot rather than mail it? If so, where?

Answer: Yes, definitely! You can drop your ballot of in person at any of these locations during voting or business hours:

  • Any of the five Board of Elections offices in the city
  • Any early voting location
  • Any Election Day polling location

Readers Jenna S. and Nancy Y. had a similar question about a double-ballot mystery: Why did they receive two separate absentee ballots from the BOE ahead of the general election?

Answer: Because they live in districts where special elections are happening on Nov. 2.

If you reside in Harlem’s Senate District 30 or Assembly District 86 in the west Bronx, you may have gotten two separate absentee ballots. One is for the regular city election (mayor, comptroller, City Council, etc.) and one is for the special election to fill two empty seats in the state Legislature. We wrote about this a bit more in a previous newsletter.

Who’s running, exactly?

The fight for mayor is the headline bout, but a handful of other citywide and borough offices are on the card, too.

To find out exactly who is on your ballot, use this tool from the city’s Board of Elections to find a sample ballot. Type in your address, click “Look Up,” then click “View Sample Ballot.”

The tool will also tell you your polling location for both early voting and Election Day voting. And remember: those two polling locations may be different from one another, so double check!

For more information on specific races, here are guides:

  • Mayor — Democrat Eric Adams and Republican Curtis Sliwa aren’t the only people running. Seven other candidates got a spot on the November ballot through third parties.
  • Citywide and borough races — Here’s who’s on the ballot for comptroller, public advocate, borough presidents and the Manhattan district attorney race.
  • City Council — We assembled this guide on the competitive City Council races this year, and made a map so you can look up who’s on your ballot in your district.

If you live in Harlem or the West Bronx, don’t forget: You might be voting in two special elections also set to take place on Nov. 2.

In Harlem’s Senate District 30, Brian Benjamin vacated his seat to become Gov. Kathy Hochul’s lieutenant governor. The Manhattan Democratic Party nominated Cordell Cleare — former chief of staff of Councilmember Bill Perkins — to the special election ballot in late September. She will appear on the ballot with Republican Oz Sultan and Shana Harmongoff of the “Hope 4 NY” party, BOE records show.

In The Bronx’s Assembly District 86, Assemblymember Victor Pichardo resigned his seat this summer. His replacement will be Democrat Yudelka Tapia, who is running unopposed in the special election, BOE records show. Tapia is a district leader and ran for City Council in the area earlier this year. She came in second place in June’s primary with 37.7% of the vote.

What’s up with these ballot questions?

Candidates aren’t alone on your ballot this November. You’ll also have five potential changes to the state constitution to consider, too.

The five ballot proposals touch on: political representation in Albany and Congress; environmental rights; voter registration rules and absentee balloting; and how New York’s civil court works.

We wrote this guide last week to help you (and ourselves, frankly) make sense of them.

If you want to jump straight to the text of each proposal, here is a list from the state Board of Elections, and guides on each question from the nonprofit political encyclopedia Ballotpedia.

And finally, as the Board of Elections asks for votes to rename its pigeon mascot, we’ve gotta know: Are they trying to ruffle our feathers here?

Happy voting!





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