2017 General Election Day Voter Turnout

12/13/2017

Here’s a fact about the 2017 elections that may surprise you: the number of voters who cast a ballot in the mayoral race went up this year for the first time since 2001. More than 60,000 additional voters cast a ballot, an increase of 5.6 percent compared with 2013.

Let that sink in for a minute: in an election season characterized by most observers as non-competitive, more New Yorkers took the time to vote this past November 7 than they did during the wide-open, competitive election  in 2013.

This compelling fact counters much of the media commentary on voter turnout in 2017, which has mostly been focused on the percentage of registered voters who cast a ballot. While looking at the turnout rate is certainly a valid analysis, it’s also important to account for changes in the overall number of registered voters. While the number of voters who cast a ballot in 2017 is lower than in 2001, it’s also true that the number of registered voters on the rolls has increased by nearly 12 percent over the same period. In fact, the number of New Yorkers registered to vote increased by 7.5 percent between 2013 and 2017. 

 
So, our takeaway from 2017 is the hopeful news that New York City has reversed a trend in voter participation. For the first time in a long time, we can say that there are more registered voters and more New Yorkers voting than there were four years ago. More New Yorkers are paying attention, getting involved, and building better communities by casting a vote for the city they want. This is a good sign of what’s to come in 2021 and beyond.

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