Vote NO on Prop 6, let NYC elections be
Most of the attention in this year’s municipal elections has focused on the mayoral race, but New Yorkers will also vote in November on six propositions. Among these, Proposition 6, which would move New York City’s local elections to presidential years, has gone virtually unnoticed.
Unfortunately, while well-intentioned, Proposition 6 would actually harm voter participation. The proposal would reduce turnout in important local elections, sow confusion among voters, increase the influence of special interest money, obstruct the Board of Elections, and even potentially expose some of our neighbors to eviction.
Proponents of Proposition 6 argue that turnout is higher in presidential elections than in local elections, and that cities like Phoenix have been able to increase turnout by matching these election cycles.
But New York is not Phoenix. The latter city is sharply divided along partisan lines. Other places that have adopted similar measures, such as Los Angeles, hold nonpartisan local elections. In these cities, general elections are decisive. New York, on the other hand, is a primary election city.
Almost none of our 51 municipal districts are expected to experience a close general election this year. This is true in the city’s few Republican districts as well as those with Democratic majorities. Do you remember how full your mailbox was in June? With the general election just weeks away, I bet it’s a lot quieter now. Even the highly controversial mayoral race should be won comfortably by the Democratic candidate.
Under Proposition 6, municipal primaries would not be associated with presidential primaries – these take place in the spring to take into account the Democratic and Republican conventions. Instead, they would be combined with the June elections for Congress and the state legislature. These primaries in even years actually have a lower participation rate than urban races in odd years. Thus, Proposition 6 cannot and will not increase turnout in municipal primaries.
In fact, turnout in municipal primaries would likely decline. Under Proposition 6, most voters would have 15 to 20 elections on their primary ballot. About half of them would use ranked-choice voting and the other half would not, guaranteeing voter confusion.
Federal and state elections would take pride of place on the first page of this four-plus page ballot, even pushing the mayoral race to the second page (“don’t forget to return your ballots!”) and the modest city council elections to the third or fourth. Judges and party positions would be lost to the bottom of the pile.
Studies show that even voters who show up to the polls tend to stop voting after the first five or so races, a phenomenon known as “voter fatigue.” Proponents of Proposition 6 acknowledge this, but say it would be offset by increased turnout in general elections. Unfortunately, such an increase will not occur in our decisive June primaries.
As an important note, Proposition 6 could cause havoc if New York City ever grants voting rights to non-citizen permanent residents, a measure passed into law but currently blocked in the courts. This scenario would create serious confusion at polling places, and newly eligible New York voters would risk accidentally voting federally – a crime punishable by deportation. Current or future federal administrations would happily exploit this.
Local candidates would be lost not only on the ballot, but also in the public conversation. These candidates’ spending is capped by New York’s campaign finance rules — and if they are forced to compete for air time with state and federal candidates, who face no such restrictions, they will be easily drowned out. Their only chance to be heard would be to rely more on independent, deep-pocketed, special-interest spending.
Finally, Proposition 6 would destroy the effectiveness of the much-maligned Board of Elections. In addition to Election Day poll workers, the BOE employs an essential core staff of hard-working individuals from all corners of the city. Their expertise and continuity are essential to carrying out operations as complex as city-wide elections. But the BOE won’t be able to maintain a staff it only needs every two years — workers will naturally leave for jobs that also employ them in odd years. This will destroy the capabilities of an agency that is already too dispersed.
Ultimately, local issues that matter deeply in our lives – schools, housing, land use planning, policing and more – are decided at the city level. These issues deserve our full attention, and Proposition 6 would disastrously divide it without increasing voter participation. New Yorkers should reject this proposal.
Newell is an election lawyer and Democratic district leader on the Lower East Side.
