This year, 8 million New Yorkers will come together to elect a leader to represent them for the next four years. And with this great responsibility, the system is much more complex than it may seem.
How do mayoral elections work?
The mayor of New York City is elected every four years—specifically in the year after the primary presidential election. The reason why they do not consolidate all of the elections in one year is because the separation allows voters to be more focused on voting about their local issues.
Within a mayoral election cycle, there are two different subtypes of elections: primary and general.
The first step of a mayoral election is when registered voters associated with a qualified party are limited to choosing the candidate that will run in November for their respective political party. For example, any registered voters of the Democratic Party are permitted to only vote for possible Democratic candidates. This is known as the primary election and occurs in late June. Once each party has determined their nominees, then those candidates will be the final options on the ballot in November, or otherwise known as the general election.
Only primary elections elections implement ranked-choice voting, meaning that voters rank the candidates by preference.
This 2025 election cycle, the Democratic Party has nominated Zohran Mamdani; the Republican Party nominated Curtis Sliwa; and the former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo is running as an independent. Earlier, the former Mayor Eric Adams did run underneath the independent party—however, he had conceded the race a few weeks ago.
Who are this year’s candidates?
- Zohran Kwame Mamdani
Originally born in Kampala, Uganda, he and his family relocated to New York City at the age of seven. Fun fact! Before attending and graduating from Bowdoin College, he attended the Bronx High School of Science, where he spent his high school years.
He is the candidate for the Democratic Party and is a New York State Assemblyman, representing Astoria, Queens. He advocates for one thing: making NYC affordable, safe, and equitable.
The three main pieces of Mamdani’s campaign are making buses free of charge, freezing rents for the working class, and taxing the wealthiest 1% of corporations and New Yorkers. A few days ago at Forest Hills Stadium, he delivered a speech with the main slogan,“NEW YORK CITY IS NOT FOR SALE.” He argues that the corrupt landowners and corporations increase the rent and the price of goods to ensure that the top 1% stay rich, while leaving the rest of New Yorkers to live paycheck to paycheck.
You can find more information about this candidate at his website: Zohranfornyc.com
- Andrew Cuomo
Most known as New York’s 56th Governor, Andrew Cuomo is an American politician and was born to an Italian-American family in Queens, New York. Before being governor, he was elected Attorney General of NY in 2006.
Though he is a member of the Democratic Party, he was not successfully nominated during the Primary Elections—requiring him to run as an independent.
His campaign surrounds prioritizing NYC’s public safety, education system, and affordability. He plans to increase the size of NYPD, lower class size in classrooms, and expand access to affordable healthcare to all New Yorkers in need. Read his entire plan here: Andrew Cuomo’s Plan
Throughout his campaign, you can find him announcing his slogans: “Ready on Day One” and “Safety, Affordability, Opportunity for All.” Any additional information about his campaign and himself can be found via his website: Andrewcuomo.com
- Curtis Sliwa
The founder of the Guardian Angel, a civilian crime fighting organization, Curtis Sliwa advocates for public safety in NYC. He founded this organization when he was a manager of a McDonald’s in the Bronx and realized the need for a safer Bronx and later, NYC entirely.
In his campaigns, he has a 100-day plan where each day he would sign an executive order to help remedy the most pressing issues plaguing the city. A few of those issues that he is targeting are improving education, public safety, and reforming Rikers Island. He plans on improving DOE schools by changing academic standards, rebuilding the NYPD, and redirecting funding for corporate developers to local businesses. Any specifics about his 100 plan can be found here: 100 Day Plan.
What can you do as a NYC teen?
Though you have to be 18 years old and registered to vote, there are still a few vital things to do during any election cycle.
- Pre-register to vote!
Once you turn 16 years old, you are welcomed to start your voter registration. There is an official form that can be found on their website. On the form, they ask for your citizenship, address, political party, and a form of identification number, such as your Social Security Number. The benefit of pre-registering is that once you turn 18, you can immediately participate in the next election.
- Educate yourself about local or federal issues.
Social media has made politics and news to be extremely pervasive. Anyone can learn about the major issues concerning their community and the nation.
Here are some resources to learn more!
- Urge any voter registered adult in your family to vote!
Voting is important and every vote matters.
