The timing of elections is crucial to voter turnout. This year, NYC could vote to change it

In addition to voting in the highly anticipated mayoral race this November, New Yorkers will make another consequential decision this election day. They’ll also decide whether the city will begin holding elections only on even-numbered calendar years.

While it may sound irrelevant, it’s an important yay or nay. The measure, as written in Ballot Proposal 6, would mean that off-year primary and general elections would begin taking place in the same year as the presidential elections.

If New Yorkers voted for the proposal, it would be in line with what New York state has already been moving toward. Earlier this month, the Court of Appeals unanimously voted to uphold a law that moved many town and county elections to even-numbered years.

Now, those in NYC will have to decide whether to follow suit.

Why does this matter for New Yorkers?

Proponents of the proposal say that it will increase voter turnout, given it streamlines elections.

In New York, historically, odd-year elections bring about extraordinarily low turnout, which seems to be getting worse. In the last mayoral election, which took place in an odd-year (2021), only 23% made it to the polls.

Even this year, with a high-profile mayoral election and turnout trending upward, some predictions say that only between 30 to 40% of New Yorkers will vote.

And, according to a 2022 Citizens United report, the six largest U.S. cities that hold local elections in odd-numbered years see turnout between 10% to 38% for mayoral races.

Meanwhile, the six largest cities that have their elections in even-numbered years see numbers between 50% and 75%. And 60% of New Yorkers voted in the presidential election.

In addition to the potential for higher voter turnout, streamlining elections could also mean improving elections, as election officials can use the off-years for other essential tasks and save money. According to a 2024 report from the city’s Independent Budget Office, “if the City held on-cycle local elections, there would be fiscal year savings of approximately $42 million every other year.”

The flipside

While most New Yorkers are in favor of the proposal, some worry that shifting elections to even-numbered years could mean that during presidential election years, local issues don’t get as much attention.

Likewise, ballots will have to cover more ground, meaning they could become much longer, and thus more confusing for voters.

It could also mean that some voters only vote for the most consequential or high-profile races, a trend which has shown up in certain localities that have already begun to streamline elections. Still, according to Citizens United, “the evidence from the cities that consolidated elections and from New York City does not suggest that ballot drop-off is a significant issue.”

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