Vote NO on Prop 6, let NYC elections be

Much of the focus in this year's citywide elections has been on the mayoral race, but New Yorkers will also vote on six propositions in November. Among them Proposition 6which would move New York's local elections into presidential years has gone largely unnoticed.

Unfortunately, despite good intentions, Proposition 6 will actually harm voter participation. This proposal would reduce turnout in important local elections, confuse voters, increase the influence of special interest money, make it more difficult Election Commissionand even potentially subject some of our neighbors to deportation.

Supporters of Proposition 6 argue that turnout is higher in presidential elections than in local elections, and that cities like Phoenix have successfully increased turnout by combining these election cycles.

But New York is not Phoenix. The latter city is sharply divided along party lines. Other places that have passed similar measures, such as Los Angeles, hold nonpartisan local elections. In these cities, general elections are decisive. New York, on the other hand, is a primary election city.

Almost none of our 51 council districts are expected to hold a closed general election this year. This is true for several of the city's Republican districts, as well as for most Democratic districts. Remember how full your inbox was in June? The general election is just a few weeks away and I'm willing to bet it's a lot quieter now. Even in the hotly contested mayoral race, the Democratic candidate is expected to win comfortably.

Under Proposition 6, city primaries would not be combined with the presidential primaries – they are held in the spring to accommodate the Democratic and Republican conventions. Instead, they will be combined with June elections for Congress and the state Legislature. Even-year primaries actually have lower turnout than odd-year city elections. Thus, Proposition 6 cannot and will not increase participation in city primaries.

In fact, participation in city primaries is likely to decline. Under Proposition 6, most voters would have 15 to 20 choices on their primary ballot. About half of them will use ranked-choice voting and the other half will not, leading to voter confusion.

Federal and state elections would take pride of place on the front page of that four-plus page ballot, relegating even the mayoral race to page two (“be sure to turn the ballots over!”) and modest City Council races to page three or four. Judges and party positions would be lost at the bottom of the pile.

Research shows that even voters who show up to the polls tend to stop voting after the first five or so races, a phenomenon known as “ballot fatigue.” Supporters of Proposition 6 acknowledge this, but argue that it would be offset by increased turnout in the general election. Unfortunately, no such increase will occur in the crucial June primaries.

As an important note: Proposition 6 could cause chaos if New York City ever granted voting rights to permanent non-citizen residents, and the measure was passed into law. but is currently blocked in court. This scenario will create serious confusion at the polls, and New York voters who are newly eligible to vote risk accidentally casting a federal ballot, which is a deportable felony. Current or future federal administrations will happily take advantage of this.

Local candidates would be lost not only on the ballot, but also in the public conversation. These candidates' spending is limited by New York's campaign finance rules, and if they are forced to compete for airtime with state and federal candidates who face no such restrictions, they will be easily drowned out. Their only chance to be heard is to rely more on independent spending with deep pockets and special interests.

Finally, Proposition 6 would destroy the effectiveness of the much-criticized Board of Elections. In addition to poll workers on Election Day, the Bank of England operates a vital central headquarters made up of hardworking people from all corners of the city. Their experience and continuity are essential when conducting complex operations such as citywide elections. But the Bank of England will not be able to maintain staff that are only needed every two years – workers will understandably leave for the jobs they work for in odd-numbered years. This would undermine the agency's capabilities, which are already too spread out.

The point is that local issues that matter deeply to our lives—schools, housing, land use, policing, and more—are decided at the city level. These issues deserve our full attention, and Proposition 6 would disastrously divide it without increasing voter participation. New Yorkers should reject this proposal.

Newell is an elections lawyer and Democratic district leader from the Lower East Side.