Learning Session: Exploring Aligned Elections

Thursday, November 10 2022

New Yorkers vote for mayor and local offices in odd-numbered years. They vote for president, governor, and congress in even-numbered years. They are asked to vote so frequently – oftentimes, every year – it is no wonder millions of New Yorkers skip important elections. For decades, an average of only 25% of New York City’s 5,000,000 eligible voters participate in municipal elections.

Should New York align local elections with high-turnout, high-profile federal elections?

Speakers

• Zoltan Hajnal, professor of political science at the School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California San Diego, author “Dangerously Divided” and “America’s Uneven Democracy.”

• Ben Weinberg, Director of Public Policy, Citizens Union Foundation

• Daniel Kaminsky, Public Policy Manager, Citizens Union Foundation