On the Ballot: NYC Council Races Set for June Primary

AARP in New York City is urging those 50 and older to vote in City Council races in the Tuesday, June 27, primary, saying the election's results could have a significant impact on their lives.

Elections for all 51 council seats normally happen every four years; redistricting after the 2020 census put this election two years after the last one. “A lot of people don’t realize there’s an election,” says Kevin Jones, AARP New York's associate state director for advocacy.

Among other tasks, council members manage a $100 billion budget and monitor the city Department for the Aging.

For city offices, the primary will use ranked-choice voting, in which people select up to five candidates in order of preference. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of first-choice ballots, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their votes are awarded to the voters’ second-choice candidates. The process continues until one candidate gets over 50 percent of the votes. (The general election on Nov. 7 will not use ranked-choice voting.)

Early, in-person voting is Saturday, June 17, to Sunday, June 25. See findmypollsite.vote.nyc for locations. The registration deadline is June 17. More voting details are at aarp.org/nyvotes.

—Cristina Rouvalis