This year’s mayoral race saw the highest turnout of voters in New York City since 1969. Three-quarters of NYC’s youth, people under 30, who voted chose Mamdani, according to a voter poll conducted by The Associated Press on November 5, 2025. In April 2025, some young women in New York City mobilized and, brought together by 24-year-old Cait Camelia and 28-year-old Kaif Kabir, started the unofficial campaign, ‘Hot Girls for Zohran,’ after having the idea to create a fun kind of campaign t-shirt. ‘Hot Girls for Zohran’ is inspired by a 2020 trend, #HotGirlsforBernie, which started during Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign.

The group is primarily Gen Z, but has gone viral and spread to other age groups. Actress Emily Ratajkowski joined the campaign, and even former New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio was seen wearing a ‘Hot Girls for Zohran’ t-shirt on November 4 when he showed up to vote. The group inspired groups formed by Republican podcaster Emily Austin, ‘Hot Girls for Cuomo’, and ‘Cool Girls for Capitalism’, formed by Danielle Goldman. 

Calling themselves ‘hot girls,’ Camelia’s goal was to empower women and bring them together in a way that would convince more of the city to vote for Mamdani. On November 4, he was announced as NYC’s next mayor. 

“Together, we have illustrated the power of leading with a politics grounded in hope, compassion, and humility – rather than a politics of fear, shame, and superiority,” Camelia said in a speech she gave at a watch party on election night, “This campaign was built on community, conversations, and something that politics has lacked for far too long: joy.”

The group’s mission brought people together from many different parts of the city through parties, t-shirt giveaways, comedy shows, and canvassing, in which they would walk the city and knock on doors to tell them why they should vote for Mamdani. 

For actress, model, and influencer Abril Rios, the group was more than just a way to spread politics. “I think in the past years, especially after the pandemic, a lot of us in Gen Z have felt very disconnected from one another,” Rios said. Rios has a following of over 200,000 on instagram and yet it only serves to make her feel lonely. 

“It’s almost even more isolating cuz you see this like huge number on a screen, but it’s not necessarily reality. For a long time, I grappled with that as an influencer, and I really craved a community,” she said. “When I moved back to the States after being in Europe and got involved with ‘Hot Girls for Zohran’, and I was so amazed by his ability to make campaigning fun. There’s all these little ways that he brought people together to make it not feel like a job.” 

‘Hot Girls for Zohran’ certainly built a community not just with their over 18,000 followers but with the thousands of people who actually came together to campaign for Mamdani. It didn’t just stop at women, and New York City’s queer community as well as men joined in. The group helped change how young people approach politics and got them more involved than in recent years. Even Mamdani himself appeared in social media videos for the group’s Instagram. 

Not only did the campaign help with making politics more fun and accessible but it helped humanize Mamdani for the younger generation. Mamdani’s win is just the beginning for the group and after his win, they plan to keep their work going.

“We have many more doors to knock, many more minds to change, and many more strides to make. In the words of Mohammed El Kurd, I do not want us to compare our past to our present. I want us to invent a new future. Together,” Camelia said.

While many in New York City welcome the new mayoral administration with optimism, some young residents of Gerritsen Beach did not vote in the election, citing a lack of time, limited information, and doubts that the new leader will actually uphold promises. 

Even though youth turnout citywide climbed in 2025, with about 19% of eligible voters aged 18-29 casting ballots on Election Day compared to 11.1% in 2021, some young voters still haven’t made it a priority. Amanda Curran, 21, voted in the primaries but didn’t make it to the general election.

“I just planned my time super poorly and unfortunately couldn’t get out there in time,” said Curran.

This comes after reports that this year’s mayoral race made history, breaking NYC non-presidential early voting records. Over the nine-day period, more than 700,000 New Yorkers cast their ballots ahead of Election Day. Brooklyn also saw the largest early-voting check-in figures, reflecting strong participation across the borough. Despite that, some young voters with opinions in Gerritsen Beach still didn’t take it to the polls.

“If I did vote, it would have been for Mamdani,” said Curran. “NYC as a whole has become way too unaffordable for a great percentage of people.”

Christopher Carbone, 21, also did not vote in this election. Like many across the city, social media influenced his thoughts on the race. Over half of people aged 18-29 find social media important for them getting involved, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center. 

“I didn’t really know much surrounding the election, mainly what I saw online like Mamdani is a communist and Curtis got shot in the subway and Cuomo is corrupt,” said Carbone. “I probably would have voted for Mamdani because he is the youngest and Cuomo has failed the city before.”

Carbone said he was drawn to the candidacy of Zohran Mamdani because of his proposals to make rent more affordable and improve transportation, but added, “I doubt anything will change.”

This was a common line of reasoning for young people in Gerritsen Beach. Several other residents aged 25 and younger liked what Mamdani was promising, but didn’t feel the need to actually vote for it to happen. Instead, they only showed a passive type of support, cheering on from the sidelines rather than get involved directly. 

This skepticism in Gerritsen Beach reflects a broader political challenge of finding and maintaining trust in the people who are supposed to lead and their proposed policies. 

As New York City’s mayoral election nears, leaders of Brooklyn College’s Puerto Rican Alliance (PRA) see local elections as more relevant to their concerns than national U.S. elections.  

 “I didn’t vote in the last presidential election because I couldn’t support a candidate who funded genocide,” said PRA vice president Miguel Figueroa, who is majoring in Puerto Rican and Latin Studies. Figueroa, a Chilean, rejects national politics not out of laziness, but because of his understanding of its limitations. “PRA doesn’t endorse politicians because we don’t think colonial electoralism will free Puerto Rico or Palestine,” he said. “But in local elections, things like rent freezes, better housing, or free buses can change daily life for working-class communities.” 

 Figueroa connects the club and the neighborhood. “Puerto Ricans are being priced out of the city,” he said. “Voting is part of the solution, but organizing and showing up for our people, that’s what actually changes things.” 

 Inside PRA’s office, which is lined with posters reading “Abolish Colonialism” and “Free Palestine,” students debate how political systems shape their lives. Nationally, Hispanic voters are trending rightward, but Puerto Ricans are less likely than other Latinos to vote at all.  

 Puerto Ricans who live on the island are disenfranchised: Puerto Rico is a U.S territory, and Puerto Ricans cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections. They lack electoral votes and have no representation in Congress. Many Puerto Ricans living in the diaspora reject voting in US elections as a form of identity politics.  

 Angelina Venetian, 21, a classics and linguistics double major and PRA president, noted the tension between engaging with and questioning local politics: “When it comes to housing and affordability, local politics affect the Puerto Rican community a lot,” she said. “We’re not the most economically wealthy group in New York, and gentrification keeps pushing people out.” 

Venetian said her identity affects her political skepticism: “It’s like, am I gonna choose this imperialist or that imperialist?” 

 However, she continues to cast votes: “I mean, I’ve voted in every election so far,” Venetian said. “It’s one small thing I can do, but I know it’s not our biggest form of political power.” 

 Both Figueroa and Venetian noted that Puerto Rican voters are not a politically monolithic group.  “A lot of people assume we’re all progressive,” Venetian said. “But many Puerto Ricans are conservative, especially older generations. Some supported Trump because they thought he’d help the economy; it’s more common than people think.” 

In the 2024 United States presidential election, Hispanic turnout increased to 58%, a five percent rise over 2020, according to the Pew Research Center. About 9% of the total US Hispanic population is Puerto Rican. They have a lower turnout in local elections than Latinos identified as Mexicans, Cubans, Dominicans, and Colombians do. According to Pew, this was also true during the 2021 New York City mayoral election, with only 25% of registered Puerto Rican voters casting ballots. However, overall turnout was also at a record low of 21%.  

 While turnout in elections may lag, activism on campus is intense, and PRA has a long history. Puerto Rican and Black students founded PRA  in 1968 and protested for equal representation and resources at Brooklyn College. The PRA sought a Department of Puerto Rican Studies, representation for students in academic governance, and accountability from faculty. Along with the Young Lords and the Black Panther Party campus groups, the PRA sought to create cultural and political space. Its mission still focuses on education, organizing, and engagement.   

PRA’s next event, its annual Encuentro, will be “Legacies of Protest,” continuing the theme of activism and identity. The group is collaborating with the Department of Puerto Rican and Latinx Studies and will welcome historian Johanna Fernández, author of The Young Lords: A Radical History, as a co-host. 

Millions of Black women across the nation on social media have decided to check out and focus on their self-preservation following the outcome of the 2024 Presidential Election. With the consequences of a Trump win weighing heavily on Black women, many feel betrayed by communities they helped advocate for.

“We said we are no longer supporting y’all. We never said we wished ill will against your people. That is your fight. That is something y’all need to handle. Why are you so focused that Black people pulled out?” said popular TikToker @Jusnene in reference to the Pro-Palestinian movement.

Historically, Black women have been on the front lines of most social justice movements in America. Black women are still voting overwhelmingly for Democrats since obtaining the right to vote. In the 2024 Presidential election, exit polls showed that 91% of Black women supported Kamala Harris’ presidential bid. The polls also dismissed claims of division in the Black community as Black men also overwhelmingly voted for Vice President Kamala Harris at 77%. However, when exit polls showed how other marginalized people voted, the Black community was collectively stunned. 

With Trump’s controversial stances on race, women’s reproductive rights, immigration, LGBTQ rights, and the Israel and Gaza war, he still polled better than Harris with key demographics. Exit polls showed that 53% of white women voted for Trump, 21% of Black men voted for Trump, and 43% of Latino men voted for Trump despite 60% of Latina women voting for Harris.

According to a tweet by Chris Evans, a small business owner and popular political commentator,

“Black people have no allies,” he stated.

The exit polls also showed that Trump polled overwhelmingly better with Arab Americans in Dearborn, Michigan, due to their frustration with the Biden/Harris administration’s response to the Israel/Gaza war. The polls showed that Trump received 55% of the Arab vote compared to Harris’ 13%, while Jill Stein received 18%. 

These results infuriated Black female voters, particularly because they have been heavily advocating for the war to stop, joining protests, and raising awareness. They also continued to warn the Arab community of the consequences of a Trump vote for Black women. Some even took to TikTok to voice their frustrations and advocated for the Black community to end their boycott of Starbucks, which led to a huge trend of Black creators filming themselves enjoying the products, which also led to criticism from other Black people.

“I understand it, but I don’t think it’s the right move because so much of our power is already gone,” states Alicia Thomas, a student at Brooklyn College.

Despite feeling defeated and terrified, there have been initiatives to help Black women cope with their grief at the Vice President’s election loss and whatever may come with the new incoming Trump administration. Win with Black Women, an intergenerational and intersectional advocacy group comprised of Black women from various industries, which also helped the Vice President raise millions of dollars for her campaign, held a Zoom call to help Black women cope and plan for the next four years. More importantly, the call aimed to help shift the focus from the election loss and focus on key election wins for Black women.

On the call, U.S. Senators-elect Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland – the first Black person to be elected as a senator in her state and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, the first Black woman to be elected to the Senate from her state, sent messages of hope to Black women across the country.

“Never forget your power; you truly have the power,” stated Senator-elect Alsobrooks.

Also on the call, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) reflected on how upset she was at the election defeat. She also spoke about how the Vice President called when she was distraught and did not want to leave her home and sent messages of hope.

“For those of you who don’t know what the path forward is, because I think we all need to take our rest, we all need to make sure we need to redirect and to lean in and rediscover what our purpose is,” said Crockett.

Just one week before Election Day, the Green Party hosted its final virtual town hall, with presidential candidate Jill Stein and vice presidential candidate Rudolph Ware using the livestream to rally support for their grassroots campaign. The candidates focused on the climate crisis and their anti-war stance, while highlighting the party’s goal of securing at least 5% of the national vote to secure ballot access in future elections. Despite this goal, the party received 0.4% of the national vote this year. 

No candidate for the party has ever received 5% of the national vote in a presidential election and has struggled to surpass the 1% threshold. Stein did capture 1.1% of the vote in 2016, but Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins garnered just 0.2% in 2020. These trends continued this election season. 

According to the party’s ballot access map, the party was on the ballot in 39 states in 2024, with write-in status in six states including New York, and officially off the ballot in five states. Advocates for the Democratic Party worried that support for Stein would decrease the votes for Vice President Kamala Harris, putting Donald Trump in a greater chance for victory. However, Trump won the 2024 election with a margin of more than double the votes of all independent parties combined.

During the town hall event, Stein, along with campaign advisor Mark Elbourno and campaign manager Jason Call, argued that climate change is an existential threat exacerbated by U.S. domestic and foreign policies. According to Elbourno, the U.S. has a history of prioritizing corporate and military interests over environmental sustainability. Call criticized current leaders for contributing to environmental degradation and failing to meet the needs of marginalized communities affected by climate-related disasters.

“The fight is here at home,” Stein emphasized, “against oligarchy, neocolonialism… and the climate crisis.” Stein, known for her outspoken climate platform since 2012, claimed that the U.S. has escalated fossil fuel extraction under both major parties, failing to uphold international climate targets and ignoring calls from scientists to reduce emissions. 

Central to the party’s climate policy is the Green New Deal, which calls for a rapid and aggressive transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030. The deal involves the dismantling of the fossil fuel industry, ending subsidies for polluting corporations, and imposing a carbon tax to hold companies accountable for emissions.

Call highlighted the ongoing effects of climate change on indigenous communities in Alaska, who are experiencing unprecedented floods and glacial melt. According to the World Glacier Monitoring Service, the largest contributor to rising sea levels are melting glaciers in Alaska. “We are already seeing climate refugees, even within our borders,” Call stated. 

The conversation repeatedly returned to the Green Party’s opposition to U.S. militarism. Ware highlighted recent conflicts that have accelerated climate degradation, arguing that military pollution is an overlooked source of greenhouse gas emissions. 

Ware asserted that Israel’s bombing of Gaza has released more greenhouse gasses in three months than the combined annual emissions of more than 20 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries. According to Ware, U.S. military support for global conflicts undermines their credibility in addressing climate change, given the environmental toll of warfare.

The Green Party called for supporters to donate and build a “peaceful revolution.” Citing Martin Luther King Jr.’s words, Stein emphasized “the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” As the town hall reached its goal of $60,000 in donations, Stein argued that a stronger Green Party could pressure both major parties to adopt climate policies that counter corporate dominance of U.S. politics. 

Stein’s presidential campaign amassed international attention, with bids from the European Greens asking her to step down from the race. Made up of green parties from across Europe, the transnational political party asserts no link with the U.S. Green Party. The European Greens argued that Vice President Harris is the only candidate with the potential to beat Trump, declaring that a Trump presidency has the potential to be catastrophic to human rights and environmental justice.

In a historic turn for reproductive rights and maternal health, New Yorkers just passed Ballot Measure 1 – the Equal Rights Act of 2024. The Act is aimed at ensuring individuals are not discriminated against based on their identity. By passing this measure, New York has placed itself firmly as a state with constitutional protections for reproductive rights, abortion access, and broader sexual and reproductive health services.

The New York State Board of Elections summarized Prop 1 as,

“This proposal amends Article 1, Section 11 of the New York Constitution. Section 11 now protects against unequal treatment based on race, color, creed, and religion. The proposal will amend the act to also protect against unequal treatment based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes, as well as reproductive healthcare and autonomy. The amendment allows laws to prevent or undo past discrimination.”

Without these protections in the Equal Rights Act, there could be restrictive policies and barriers reintroduced or expanded by opponents. As Planned Parenthood CEO and President Alexis McGill said in a statement on The Nation on Nov. 6 regarding the passage of Prop 1,

“Without Prop 1 in the Constitution, New York could pass laws, policies, or regulations that ban or create barriers to abortion, birth control, IVF, or other forms of reproductive health care.” 

The measure was designed to offer a permanent shield against the potential of future conservative leadership that might seek to roll back these rights. Currently, abortion protections and anti-discriminations laws already exist under New York state law. However, according to The City and State NY, these protections could theoretically be at risk if a conservative government gains control. A GOP Governor could push to reverse the Reproductive Health Act, which was only passed in 2019. Once the Equal Rights Act is part of the State Constitution, it would be much harder to reverse.

While advocates are celebrating now, the measure’s road to passage was anything but certain. Many initially expressed concerns about the language of the Equal Rights Act, which avoided explicitly mentioning “abortion.” Dr. Deborah Kaplan, a maternal health advocate and board member of the Aria Foundation, had voiced apprehension that the ambiguity might turn voters away. 

“It’s so poorly written that I could see people going, ‘What the hell is this?’ I’m worried it’s not going to pass because of that,” Dr. Kaplan said before the election. 

The passage of Prop 1 in New York comes at a critical time, offering a layer of state-level protection against possible federal restrictions on reproductive health. Donald Trump, the president-elect, played a key role in overturning Roe v. Wade two years ago. 

“The trajectory has been, we win some, social justice issues win, then there’s a reaction from the powers that be who try to destroy it. And we’re now in that period,” Dr. Kaplan said.

McGill reported in The Nation that New York State’s commitment to reproductive rights was tested again in the 2022 election when Lee Zeldin, a strongly anti-abortion candidate came within six points of winning the governorship against Kathy Hochul. 

For many advocates, the Equal Rights Act represents not only a win for reproductive rights and gender based discrimination, but also a win toward addressing NYC’s maternal health crisis, particularly its severe racial disparities. 

The Black Mamas Matter Alliance has long advocated for addressing systemic inequities that disproportionately impact Black women and birthing people, framing maternal health as an urgent election issue this year.  

“Addressing systemic inequities that excessively impact black women and birthing people is an urgent imperative. The ongoing restrictions on abortion care access and the criminalization of pregnancy loss only deepens the maternal health care crisis,” Black Mamas Matter stated on their Instagram.

What does it say about human nature when not even an election for dogs is safe from hate and interference?

The New York City Honorary Dog Election kicked off last July with 16 furry candidates from across the five boroughs, all campaigning for the position of New York City’s honorary Dog Mayor.

After 14 rounds of bracket-style eliminations, Bertram the Pomeranian and Enzo the Shih-Zhu emerged as the last dogs standing. That is, until Enzo dropped out of the race Sunday, the night before the election, turning the race for New York City’s Dog Mayor on its side. Because of Enzo’s withdrawal, the New York City Honorary Dog Election announced that the race has been postponed until next Monday, when Bertram will face off against runner-up Simon the basset-cattle dog.

Stephen Calabria, who works in media, founded  The New York City Honorary Dog Election in 2022. He was inspired by the honorary dog election of Littleton, Colorado. The New York election’s official mission is to “create something fun and joyful at a time in which many people are struggling” and to “present politics in a positive, educational, and compelling way (for once)”.

But what was supposed to serve as a sweet distraction from the negativity and division of human elections was soured after “crypto-bros”, faceless online traders invested in crypto-currency created $BertCoin, a crypto-currency made in Bertram’s likeness – leading Enzo to leave the race. According to critics, the Dog Mayoral Election platform is now being used as an opportunity to boost the value of $BertCoin. These critics charge that those with a vested interest are skewing the votes in an apparent “pump-and-dump” scheme. 

The $BertCoin official X account is offering promotional giveaways of crypto-currency to people who vote for Bertram and encourage their friends and family to vote for Bertram. The total value of $BertCoin at one point hit an estimated value of $3 million.

“A certain group $Bert crypto coin supporters is using the Dog Mayor platform to pump their valueless shitcoin,” wrote Enzo’s owner, Olivia Caputo, in the official announcement of Enzo’s withdrawal from the race, “They do not care about the Dog Mayor of NYC and their involvement has compromised the entire election.”

Caputo also said, “What was supposed to be a fun and uplifting contest turned into a catalyst for spreading hate, negativity, and threats of violence towards Enzo.”

A Telegram group chat of over one thousand people invested in $BertCoin was leaked to Caputo. Caputo posted screenshots of the leaked chat to Enzo’s official Instagram that showed investors in $BertCoin saying obscene and violent things about Enzo.

Caputo feels that Calabria has been unsupportive as an “unprecedented” number of hate comments have rolled in. She even alleges that Calabria has been liking hate comments online regarding Enzo, and that the election team never cared for her or her dog. 

The NYC Honorary Dog Mayor Election said in an official statement that it does not condone the spread of negativity directed toward anyone, canine or human, and does not want anyone to buy or pay for votes. But “we can’t moderate every conversation on the internet, can’t control whether people in the global crypto marketplace organize for a candidate for dog mayor,”.

“You could say that the introduction of financial interests on the part of candidates and their supporters kind of cheapens the whole thing… but the vast majority of folks still find this to be a joyful and fun and worthwhile endeavor without politics’ normal levels of human corruption,” Calabria said in an interview with Pix11. “If I was to now invest in $BertCoin, that would be corruption.”

Bertram’s owner, Kathy Grayson, has not discouraged trading in $BertCoin. While she has quipped that “dogs shouldn’t be mean to other dogs,” she says her own interactions with $BertCoin investors have been nothing but positive. Grayson emphasizes she has nothing to do with $BertCoin. Instead, she says she was focused on encouraging people to participate in last Tuesday’s human presidential election.

The Dog Election team emphasized that it is not illegal or disqualifying for a candidate to be endorsed by outside groups of people and that disqualifying Bertram from the race due to his crypto-following would be unfair. 

With Enzo’s departure from the race in the final hour, Simon steps up to the plate undaunted. His election team said online, “He doesn’t care if he loses to crypto bros next week, he’s a dog and this isn’t a real election.” They also say that Simon’s “smooth-brain” will work to his advantage, as it makes him impervious to hateful online comments.

New York City’s incumbent mayor, Sally Long Dog, as well as her Deputy Mayor, Riley, released a message to the public stating, “Nothing in the way of hate or violence against anyone is ever considered okay with us.”

In response to “surrounding auxiliary crypto interests,” Sally Long Dog’s team went on to reiterate the mission of the Dog Mayor: “To provide a fun, light-hearted, hilarious environment to which people can escape the troubles of the world and bask in what things might look like if loving pups were running things,”.

Sally Long Dog is stepping down as Mayor because as a Basset hound, the job of mayor requires her to go up and down too many flights of stairs. She intends to retire to upstate New York following a peaceful transition of power.

Deborah Lein, a New York City resident and participant in the Dog Mayor election, said she was “deeply saddened by all the recent drama.” She still supports outgoing Dog Mayor, Sally Long Dog, “As my niece would say, ‘this is why we can’t have nice things,’ but I’m happy Sally has remained committed to her mission.”

If you’re a NYC resident over the age of 18, it’s been almost impossible to avoid the fact that there’s an election less than a month away. This huge swell in public awareness is in large part due to organizations like NYC Votes, an initiative of the New York City Campaign Finance Board centered around getting as many New Yorkers as possible to register for upcoming elections. Described as an organization determined to, “register, educate, and engage voters across the city”, NYC Votes held a public, virtual meeting on October 16th to share plans and strategies on furthering this goal as the endgame nears. 

The meeting was hosted by a panel of leading figures from the New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB). The first presentation, by Content Strategist Lia Seremetis, discussed the effectiveness of the campaign that her team carried out for National Voter Registration Day in which they said they “helped +1,300 New Yorkers in registering to vote, updating their registration, checking their registration status, or taking our pledge to vote in every election.” On top of this, they were able to reach over half a million non-registered individuals. 

“Outreach” seemed to be the word of the day, with each speaker going over different methods like posters, murals, and pop-ups meant to bring awareness and get more people registered to vote, including an interview on Spanish-speaking radio station La Mega 97.9 and posts encouraging voter registration on the NYC Ferry Instagram account.

The next speaker was Associate Director of Partnerships Gauree Patel with a list of over 20 organizations and institutions that have collaborated with NYC Votes, including The Brooklyn Movement Center and Brooklyn Public Library. Of these collaborations, Patel said, “Although this is a long list of names, each of these relationships was built by a member on our team and it required deep listening, it required trust building, it required trips all across the city in all of the boroughs. It’s through that effort…that we’ve been able to reach the communities in our priority neighborhoods across the city.” 

Patel spent the rest of her segment detailing various ways that she and her team have tried to reach potential voters “at different points along the spectrum, starting with being unregistered and disengaged and progressively moving towards being a frequent voter not just in presidential elections but in city and non-presidential elections as well,” This included a partnership with CUNY to “train student leaders to conduct voter engagement and education across campuses.” Patel closed her presentation with a slide featuring NYC Votes ambassadors at a US Citizenship and Immigration Services ceremony registering new citizens to vote and a picture of a volunteer helping a person being held at a DOC facility fill out a voter registration form.

Despite the fact that the main political event this year is the showdown between Presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, these candidates nor the presidential election were ever specifically brought up throughout the entire meeting. NYC Votes is not an organization that’s centered around the Presidential election and especially not around getting people to vote for a particular side; they’re driven by what they call their “nonpartisan voter initiative.” This meeting and the organization’s philosophy in general is centered on making sure New Yorkers aren’t just politically engaged every four years when there’s time to pick a new president. Because of this, the main topic of conversation for the remainder of the meeting was actually something that most voters might not even be aware of: the six different proposals that are going to be on the ballot statewide. 

In a presentation by Policy Manager Sophie Sharpes, each proposal was given its own dedicated slide in which its purpose was laid out. This included the first ballot proposal, which would add protections to reproductive healthcare in the State Bill Of Rights (as well as other anti-discrimination protections based on race, sexuality, and gender identity). This proposal was actually given two slides, unlike the single slide that the five other proposals got, and it’s not hard to imagine why. This ballot proposal could be critical in attracting potential voters as Roe V. Wade and reproductive rights have become a massive political talking point in the past couple years. In fact, there are nine other states across the country including Arizona, Florida, and Maryland, where reproductive rights are also on the ballot. It’s proven that referendums like this can encourage voters who may not be motivated by a specific Presidential candidate to show up on election day just to make their voices heard on one particular issue that they feel strongly about.                                                   

After all three presentations, the panel of NYCCFB board members once again took the “main stage” to thank all the presenters and the viewers at home, ending with Assistant Executive Director for Public Affairs Eric Friedman thanking Sharps for her presentation and asserting that, “Amending the state constitution is a really big deal, amending the city charter is a really big deal and New Yorkers should take the time to read out and learn about these important questions.” 

With the election just around the corner, you can expect to see more of these strategies and hear more of these talking points for the next couple weeks.

With 19 days left until Election Day, Brooklyn Democrats are working on their final pitch to Black men reluctant to vote this cycle. In East New York, Assemblywoman Nikki Lucas (D-NY) is teaming up with male District Leader Michael Rosendary and Councilwoman Darlene Mealy, hoping to galvanize Black male Brooklyn residents to ensure their voices and concerns are represented in the political discourse. On an October 14 Zoom meeting with local voters, Nikki Lucas stated, “The concern for us is really creating more of an impact for Black men in society.”

With more than 6 million early votes already cast in 39 states, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump battle in the final leg of their race. Harris is making an extra effort to reach Black men who are not yet sold on her campaign through Black media appearances and by releasing a new campaign agenda specifically for Black men. 

However, voters had a mixed reaction to comments by former President Barack Obama at a Pittsburgh rally last week, where he criticized Black men for being reluctant to vote for Harris due to gender and shamed them for being willing to vote for Trump. But in Brooklyn, local Democrats are trying to find a different approach to appeal to this demographic. “Where Black men lead, everyone else is sure to follow,” said Councilwoman Darlene Mealy.

On the October 14 Zoom call, Democratic District Leader Michael Rosendary co-hosted the second installment of “Black Men for Politics”  with Lucas in an effort to reach Black men in East New York. “We were very intentional to call it Black men in Politics because we know not everyone is pushing for a particular candidate,” stated Lucas. Nearly 20 constituents expressed their concerns and fears going into the election as well as over the potential outcome. Some even voiced their concerns about talking to their neighbors, friends, and relatives who they believe are being fed misinformation. According to East New York resident Mike Tucker, a member of Lay the Guns Down, a foundation dedicated to ending gun violence, “When I talk to people, sometimes I have to walk away from them because I can’t believe the misinformation, and they run with it.” 

In an audio town hall on October 15, Vice President Harris reiterated that one of the struggles her campaign is facing is misinformation about her record, mainly about her tenure as San Francisco district attorney. “I’ve had over a 100 arguments with 100 people on this particular reason on why Black men are not voting for the Vice President,” Tucker said. “The first thing they say is that ‘Oh, I’m not voting for her because she was locking brothers up,’ so what I would like to do is invite 1,000 Black men and ask them this important question: If not her, why him?”

“A lot of people talk about Kamala locking brothers up, but they forget that Trump was instrumental in the Central Park Five,” said Roger Mackie, an East New York resident. He was confused as to why Black men were reluctant to vote for Harris yet willing to support Trump. In 1989, after the brutal rape of a New York jogger, Donald Trump took out a full-page ad in all the city’s major newspapers calling for the execution of the Black and Hispanic teens accused. In 2002, all five men were exonerated. 

Despite their political beliefs, members of the group were in lockstep about engaging voters from both sides of the political aisle. They even encouraged participants leaning towards Trump to engage in the conversation, although none did. All participants also agreed that the link between Black voters and disengagement was election misinformation. Frankson asked, “How do we engage Black men, equip members of our vote, and combat the disinformation?”

Assemblywoman Lucas proposed creating a fact sheet or report card about the candidates to combat the misinformation out there. In addition to the fact sheet, Frankson suggested going to the local barbershops – culturally a hub for Black men – and talking to the owners and patrons. Then Lucas suggested what she calls a “lifestyle tour” where community leaders and elected officials can canvass the area and go to different barbershops to talk to people, but emphasized that the factual information be provided in small doses and that the messaging be conveyed through empathy and understanding. She stated, “We want people who are registered to vote to go out and vote and vote on the issues based on fact and not fiction.”

Lucas will head the lifestyle tour, which will meet at her campaign office and kick off on Saturday, October 19th, 2024, in East New York. The tours will continue throughout the remainder of the year beyond the 2024 election. Lucas, Rosendary, Mealy, and other community organizers hope that this initiative has a ripple effect on Black male engagement in politics.

Isaac Bildersee Junior High School in Canarsie didn’t look like it was ready to host hundreds of local residents turning out to vote on election day.  This polling place in particular, located on Flatlands Avenue, was heavily scaffolded and guarded by fencing, however decorated by signage indicating the entrance to the voting site. Still, residents came out to vote. 

Danasia McKenzie of Canarsie, who is a retired nurse and resident said that she cast her vote in hopes of finding a Governor who will keep the neighborhood safe. McKenzie says as a nurse, there were many times that she had to take care of and diagnose injuries in the younger population around the neighborhood. As a grandmother of seven children, she says that she once lived in fear that any one of her grandchildren would show up to the hospital she worked in, because of the constant violence on the streets. 

“Especially living in Canarsie, you know, at the late hours we have police patrolling the block now. That’s a good thing, because you always think something is going to happen. We need that kind of protection, and if that’s what my vote can guarantee, then I know who I’m going for,” McKenzie said. 

Although the “Vote NYC” sidewalk stickers indicated a hypothetical line direction, as well as standing points for anticipated voters to wait for entry, there was not much of a line.. Foot traffic seemed to be slow at 12pm., although there were a few local residents approaching from both sides of the street. Outside, stood two polling volunteers giving directions and answering questions from citizens. 

This year’s election  attracted voters of all ages, some who also happened to be first time-voters excited to make a difference. 

Kamir Knightley, a high school student in Canarsie anticipated turning 18 years old over the summer, so that he would finally be of age to cast his vote. Knightley said he feels as if it is a full-circle moment for him, because he was once a student at the school now being used as a polling site. 

“It’s cool that this is the place I get to vote, so it makes a difference to me. A younger version of me would have never been interested in coming to vote because I always thought it didn’t matter. Now that I’m older, I like to think about what a younger version of me would have wanted to see in this city,” Knightley said. “I used to run the block with my friends a lot and I cleaned myself up, now we need somebody to help us all clean up.”

Brooklyn had the highest voter turnout on Nov. 8 of the five boroughs, and Brooklyn College
students and residents of nearby Flatbush made sure their votes contributed to the high rate of
participation.

The borough of Brooklyn saw a turnout of about 451,422 voters by 6 p.m. compared to the
second largest turnout being in Manhattan, with 358,029, the Brooklyn Eagle reports.

After the election, many Brooklyn College students on campus said they were pleased with the
outcome of the election.

“People can vote for who they want, but I would hope that people would be less likely to vote for
a Republican party that promotes restrictions on abortion, and continues to support former
president Trump and his ideologies,” said Max Bochkarev, a Hunter college Junior.

While Governor Kathy Hochul has won a full four year term as Governor of the state, this
appears to be a victory that to Democrats such as Bochkarev, should have been won by greater
margins. Nonetheless, there is still satisfaction amongst those who believe that the most
important aspect of elections, voter turnout, was the ultimate goal, regardless of results.

Higher voting participation from New Yorkers is a welcomed site to poll workers and city
officials. According to the Gotham Gazette, “more than 2.97 million New York City voters cast a
ballot in the 2020 general election, an increase of about 7.5% from 2016.” A stat that officials
hoped was a trend in the right direction and not merely a fluke, or spur of the moment.

“It is incredibly important for those who are able to vote, to go and participate at the polls. It is
important to be politically informed as much as possible,” said Gabriel Salas, a Brooklyn College senior.

Hundreds of Sheepshead Bay residents turned out to P.S. 207 to cast their vote for New York’s next governor, among other important elected roles.

Jess Gerrity, a Sheepshead Bay resident, said she had quite the experience trying to vote. Her voting site was unknowingly changed, which forced her to head to her old elementary school, PS 207, to vote just before 9 P.M. when polls closed.

“If I had not had my car with me, part of me may have considered not voting, as it was a chilly night and would have been at least a 20 minute walk to the other site,” said Gerrity.  “I voted because New York is in crisis. I’m a proud New Yorker, wouldn’t choose to live anywhere else, obviously things have gotten out of control. Crime is one of my biggest concerns, along with protecting women’s reproductive rights.” 

Even though voting was a hassle because of the site change, Gerrity said she felt it was important to vote to defend women’s rights.

 “The second site definitely had wait times, and I was stuck in front of a frustrated older couple who was blaming the Board of Elections. On my way back to my car I passed a man holding a sign for Cymbrowitz and said he hoped he voted for me,” said Gerrity.

Brian Roytman, of Manhattan Beach also voted at the elementary school he attended, P.S. 100. 

“It brought back a lot of memories walking through the doors I used to go through everyday for 6 years,” he said.

Roytman expressed his displeasure with the drugs and crimes that are plaguing New York City, along with inflation.

“The issues that matter to me the most is what our politicians are doing to curb inflation which is affecting everyone from the wealthy to the poor. What are they doing to keep opioids and other dangerous drugs off of the streets, especially with all of the fentanyl going around,” said Roytman.

He described the poll workers as “overwhelmed.” 

I came a little late after work and had to wait 45 minutes to vote, while feeling a bit rushed by the workers,” he added.

Still Roytman was thankful that the poll workers supported and encouraged voting in his neighborhood.

“The majority of people in my neighborhood are white collar employees or medical workers, and I noticed most of them came straight from work since they were in scrubs or suits. I ran into some neighbors I am friendly with and we agreed on the same issues and who we needed to vote for to get the change our city desperately needs and deserves,” he said. 

At the Erasmus Hall High School polling site in Flatbush,, a steady stream of voters came out to vote for New York’s next governor, as well as various national and local Senate and Assembly seats.

Many voters said they came out to vote because they felt particularly passionate about a personal issue. 

“This election is about preserving our democracy and protecting a woman’s right to choose,” said Mary Broomfield of Brooklyn. 

In recent weeks, polls showed the race for governor—between incumbent Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin—would be much closer than previous contests. 

Among the contests on the ballot were all 26 New York congressional House seats, one Senate seat and the gubernatorial seat. Also on the ballot in New York State were races for state attorney general and state comptroller.

Early voting in New York ended on Sunday. In the race for governor, Hochul faces a challenge from Zeldin, who currently represents New York’s 1st congressional district.

Republicans have not been elected to statewide office in New York in 20 years. Democrats also outnumber Republicans 2 to 1.

Late Tuesday night, news networks called the gubernatorial race for Hochul by a margin of 6 percentage points over Zeldin, making Hochul the first female governor elected in New York.

However, Hochul’s win was much smaller than previous gubernatorial races in the state. In 2014, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo won the state’s gubernatorial race by 14 percentage points. In 2018, Cuomo won re-election by an even wider margin of 23 percentage points.

“The turnout has been moderate this year, much bigger than typical midterm elections,” said poll worker Adam Hidalgo.

On Nov. 8, Nassau County residents cast their votes in the Midterm Election, deciding the fate of New York’s next governor, as well as control of the Senate and House of Representatives. 

Nassau County residents had the option to vote early from Oct. 29 to Nov. 6. According to Nassau County’s website, more than 510,000 votes were counted for Governor and Lieutenant Governor.

The Lakeview Library, a Nassau County polling location, seemingly had a moderate flow of traffic as voters arrived in moderation to cast their vote. According to Erica Browne, the chairperson for the Lakeview library, there’s been a “steady flow of traffic” since the polls opened at 6 a.m. 

Tatiana Lopez, the poll coordinator for the Lakeview Library said she had a few issues in mind when voting. 

“I think voting is very important, especially with everything that is going on in the world today,” said Lopez. “I think we [should] definitely exercise the right [and] being women also with everything that’s going on with abortions and things that they’re trying to do to women. It’s definitely important to come down and vote and make sure you vote for the right candidate to get them in there so they can make the best decisions.” 

One voter, Joanna Bruce, a Nassau County resident who lives in Lakeview, said she was determined to vote despite her long shifts. Bruce, who is a correctional officer, admitted that she usually casts her vote before going into work. Her shift recently changed and she had to vote after work. Exhausted, she still made sure her vote was counted. 

“Depending on the hours that I work, I would [vote] normally before work as soon as the polls open but because I have to be to work before the polls open, I went after work and the line did start building up. But [fortunately] for me, I was able to get in and out,” said Bruce. 

Bruce said she hopes newly elected officials will address the issue of crime in communities across the country. 

“I’m hoping that whoever wins [will] tackle this situation with crime because it’s like the wild, wild, west out here and people are really getting hurt, so hopefully, these people decide to do the right thing and their eyes are open. So God’s willing, whoever wins is the right person,” Bruce said. 

In Jamaica Queens, The P.S. 050 Talfourd Lawn Elementary School voting polls opened their doors for Midterm Elections at 6 a.m. to welcome eager voters ready to cast their ballot. The lines weren’t as long as they had been for the Presidential election, but nonetheless, people were showing up.

This election campaign has been an intense one with many people in New York State wondering if a red wave would swell over the state. 

Many people have taken to social media to speak about the importance of voting especially in smaller towns as they tend to hold the spot for being key roles in these elections. 

“It’s so important to cast your ballot, especially in these smaller elections that mean just as much as the primaries,” said substitute school teacher Cassidy Alves, as she cast her ballot after coming home from work. 

The majority of the people leaving the polling station have the same general message – it’s important to go vote. 

In line, voters who came in groups were chatting about the nominees and discussing policies that would sway them in certain ways. A mother and son who went to vote discussed the rumored red wave hitting New York. 

Alexandra Diaz, a stay- at- home mother, took her son with her to vote. because, 

“I was watching the news and it seems to be a close race this time, I’m not used to that because I lived here for so much time,” Diaz said, as she was shocked at the urgency for these midterm elections. 

Her son agreed with her that he had heard from classmates and on social media that there was a threat to the democratic hold on New York State. However, it’s become common for small towns to go Red, while big cities remain Blue.

The atmosphere was at a low rumble as people continued to file in and out of the cubicles, quickly dispensing their ballot and continuing on with their day. The poll workers were attentive to those checking in and even those who are casting their votes for the first time. 

Andrew Gresh, a Jamaica resident, said he was glad with the turnout, as someone who has come to vote every time since he turned 18.

“I’m glad that more people showed up this time around, usually not many people get involved but I think they feel the importance this time,” Gresh said.