With early voting starting on Saturday, New Yorkers spent the weekend casting their ballots in the Democratic primary. Many told amNewYork that they wanted to make sure their voices were heard in the mayoral election.
Photo by Dean Moses
New Yorkers spent the weekend casting their ballots in the Democratic primary that began Saturday with early voting. Many told amNewYork that they wanted to make sure their voices were heard in this pivotal mayoral election.
Voters in Manhattan on Sunday said they came out in the rain to fill out their ballots for two reasons: to make sure their vote was counted and to avoid the crowds on June 24. They also had a lot to say about the possibility of a new city leader.
Erica said clean streets, safe subways, and reducing crime are some of the most important policies to her when deciding on a candidate this election. She revealed that she is ranking former Gov. Andrew Cuomo based on his knowledge of government.
“I think he has New York City’s best interests in mind. I think that, you know, COVID was an unusual time, and I don’t think he handled it particularly well in a lot of ways, but in a lot of ways, it was an uncharted course for all of us. I think he did a decent job for New York State,” Erica said. “I understand he has his faults, but I feel like he’s a stronger candidate.”
Jacqueline Colliton says she is also putting Cuomo at the top of her list followed by former Comptroller Scott Stringer. Her primary reason? The need for New York City to push back against Donald Trump.
“We need someone to stand up to Trump. I feel like [both Cuomo and Stringer] are intelligent, fair, and have common sense,” Colliton said. “I want them to find a better way to deal with immigration.”
Mark, however, feels differently. Voting alongside his family, he says he believes the city is ready for new, bold ideas and could use a change from traditional politicians.
“I’m much more inclined, I think, nowadays, to try somebody who’s got bold ideas with less experience, because, like the presidency, I think the mayorship of New York City is an office that’s supported by so many different functionaries and departments and administrative agencies and so on, that really, it’s the vision that matters,” Mark said.
According to the Board of Elections, more than 30,000 New Yorkers cast their votes on the first day of early voting, a number that doubled since the last mayoral election. The huge turnout is something Mark said he noticed right away.
“I’m glad that there are a lot of people voting this year, it may just be the enthusiasm for the first couple of days. But I hope it continues because the more voting, the better,” Mark said.
Dawn Eng and Adam Burke always vote early to avoid lines and technical difficulties on Election Day. They shared that while there was a bit of a learning curve when it came to ranked-choice voting, it was important for them to practice their civic duty.
“It was a little hard to figure out how to strategize using ranked choice voting, but kind of once you understood it, I got it, but it was a little complicated to understand. Like, how do you strategize? If you don’t want a certain candidate to get to the ballot, then you don’t want to put them on. But that might not be obvious,” Eng said.
Eng stressed that environmental change, climate change, and integrity were key things she looked for when casting her ballot. For Burke, it was about housing affordability and accountability.
Burke felt disenfranchised by the current mayoral administration, and what he called a lack of accountability by Mayor Eric Adams.
“I think Mayor Adams is a criminal, and I think he’s incompetent, and I don’t think he ever should have been elected to begin with. And I think there should be accountability on his term,” Burke said.
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