So you’ve been wading through news articles about and hospital closings and sexting and bike lanes and sexting, and you think you know who you’re going to vote for in November. That’s nice and all, but you’re forgetting a very important detail: before the general election, the city holds primaries to determine who’s on the ballot for the general election. The primaries are September 10, and the deadline to register is August 21 (postmarked by August 16).
Remember, you MUST be registered as a Democrat or Republican to vote in their respective primaries. Yeah, I know, you want to make an argument about how shitty the two party system is, man, and how like, why can’t it be like central Europe where they have no electoral problems? However, this is New York City, where you need to make up your mind before someone else gets their bagel and coffee first, and, because voter registration is so skewed in election districts, primaries often decide things before the general election does.
In case you thought you could make this election a bigger shit show by changing your party affiliation to vote for the guy who made Gristedes exist, note that New Yorkers cannot change their party and vote in that party’s primary in the same year. Also, please note that registering for the Independence Party does not equal registering as an independent. Rookie mistake.
Don’t forget that we will also be voting for the oft unsung heroes of local government: City Council members! There are some pretty hot races in Brooklyn, so find your district and find out who’s on the ballot. Many Democratic races have multiple contenders (five in the 35th district!), so figure out who you’ll be supporting, lest you step in voting booth and face a bunch of unrecognizable names.
Not sure if you’re registered? There’s a way to check that.
Follow Rachel as she raises high the roof beams of democracy: @rachelevestein