Election Day is Tuesday, and we’ve compiled a one-stop Election Guide on the key races and ballot questions New Yorkers will be voting on. All citywide offices are on the ballot, including mayor, public advocate and comptroller, as well as all 51 city council seats, all five borough presidents, and the Manhattan and Brooklyn district attorneys. There are also three ballot questions on the back of the paper ballot, including whether New York State should revise its constitution.
Polling sites are open across the city from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Election Day. Visit the NYC Campaign Finance Board to find out where your polling site is and to view your sample ballot.
CITYWIDE RACES
MAYOR
There are seven candidates for mayor. The leading candidates are:
Bill de Blasio, the 109th mayor of New York City, previously served for four years as the city's public advocate. Prior to that, he was a member of the City Council, representing parts of Brooklyn.
De Blasio supports closing Rikers Island in 10 years. He implemented universal pre-kindergarten for all city 4-year-olds. He has pledged to create or preserve 300,000 affordable apartments across the city by 2026.
Nicole Malliotakis, Republican
An assemblywoman from Staten Island who has served in Albany since 2013, Nicole Malliotakis previously worked for Con Edison and for former Governor George Pataki.
Malliotakis has argued that the city is less safe under de Blasio. She is a strong supporter of charter schools. She says she would create more affordable housing by offering incentives to free up larger apartments in public housing developments occupied by single New Yorkers and couples.
The other candidates running for Mayor are:
COVERAGE ON THE RACE FOR MAYOR
COMPTROLLER
The city comptroller is the city's top financial officer. The comptroller oversees the city's five public pension funds and has the authority to audit city agencies.
There are four candidates for comptroller. The leading candidates are:
Scott Stringer, Democrat
Scott Stringer, NYC's current City Comptroller, previously served as Manhattan Borough President after more than a decade in the state Assembly.
Stringer has been sharply critical of Mayor de Blasio and his administration, but he and the mayor endorsed one another for re-election this year.
Stringer says he wants Rikers Island to close in three years, and he has called for the mayor's affordable housing plan to include more apartments for very low-income New Yorkers.
A pastor and former New York Jets football player, Michel Faulkner was the Republican nominee for New York's 15th congressional district in 2010, when he unsuccessfully challenged then-Rep. Charles Rangel.
Faulkner has argued he would be a stronger check on Mayor de Blasio than Stringer has been. He is calling for reforms to the property tax system and a freeze on property tax increases for properties worth less than $1 million.
The other candidates running for comptroller are:
COVERAGE ON THE RACE FOR CITY COMPTROLLER
PUBLIC ADVOCATE
The public advocate is meant to be a city watchdog, and is next in line to succeed the mayor in the event the mayor is unable to finish his or her term.
There are five candidates running for public advocate. The leading candidates are:
Letitia James, the city's current Public Advocate, is the first woman of color to hold citywide office. She previously served on the City Council, representing parts of Brooklyn.
James has sued the city at least 11 times and spearheaded the passage of a bill that prohibits employers from asking job applicants about their salary history in an effort to close the pay gap between women and men. She says she is focused on reforming the city's child welfare system and helping small businesses.
Juan Carlos Polanco, Republican
Juan Carlos Polanco is a lawyer, a former commissioner of the New York City Board of Elections and an adjunct professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.
Polanco is a strong supporter of charter schools, and says ethical issues at City Hall should be a bigger focus of the Public Advocate.
The other candidates running for public advocate are:
COVERAGE ON THE RACE FOR PUBLIC ADVOCATE
BOROUGH-WIDE RACES
MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY
RELATED COVERAGE
BOROUGH PRESIDENT SEATS
Bronx Borough President:
Steven DeMartis, Republican
Antonio Vitiello, Conservative
Brooklyn Borough President:
Vito Bruno, Republican & Conservative
Manhattan Borough President:
Frank Scala, Republican
Brian Waddell, Reform & Libertarian
Queens Borough President:
William Kregler, Republican & Conservative
Everly Brown, Homeowners NYCHA
Staten Island Borough President:
LOCAL RACES
All 51 City Council seats are up for election. Learn more by reading through NY1's recent coverage of the races below.
RELATED COVERAGE
BALLOT QUESTIONS
Proposal Number 1, a Question: Constitutional Convention
Shall there be a convention to revise the Constitution and amend the same?
- Supporters say: Opening up the constitution allows for much-needed reforms in New York State government.
- Opponents say: Opening up the constitution will allow for well-funded special interest groups to hijack the process and rewrite the constitution to favor themselves.
Proposal Number 2, an Amendment: Allowing the complete or partial forfeiture of a public officer's pension if he or she is convicted of a certain type of felony
The proposed amendment to section 7 of Article 2 of the State Constitution would allow a court to reduce or revoke the public pension of a public officer who is convicted of a felony that has a direct and actual relationship to the performance of the public officer's existing duties. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?
- Supporters say: State taxpayers should not be paying for pension benefits when a public official is convicted of a felony.
- Opponents say: The family of a public official convicted of a felony should not be made to suffer financially.
Proposal Number 3, an Amendment: Authorizing the Use of Forest Preserve Land for Specified Purposes
The proposed amendment will create a land account with up to 250 acres of preserved forest eligible for use by towns, villages and counties that have no viable alternative to using forest preserve land to address specific public health and safety concerns; as a substitute for the land removed from the forest preserve, another 250 acres of land, will be added to the forest preserve, subject to legislative approval. The proposed amendment also will allow bicycle trails and certain public utility lines to be located within the width of specified highways that cross the forest preserve while minimizing removal of trees and vegetation. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?
- Supporters say: It gives municipalities outside of New York City more flexibility when trying to improve or expand infrastructure.
- Opponents say: It could allow for the destruction of preserved forest land in the state.
RELATED COVERAGE
For further voting information and assistance, visit the Board of Elections website. On Election Day, let us know if you run into any issues at your polling site using #NY1Politics on Twitter and Instagram.