1 in 5 NYC Voters Won’t Have a Say in Choosing the Next Mayor

On June 24, New York City will hold primary elections for city offices — including the high-profile mayoral race, where former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani appear to be the two front-runners.

Much of the conversation around this election has focused on Cuomo vs. Mamdani and the role of ranked choice voting. But what’s being overlooked is a more fundamental issue: More than 1 million New Yorkers — 21.6% of active registered voters — won’t be able to participate. Why? Because they’re registered as independents, and New York runs closed party primaries that exclude them.

This isn’t just unfair — it’s undemocratic. Every taxpayer funds these elections. Every eligible voter should have the freedom to participate. But in New York, that right is reserved only for those registered with a political party.

The systematic disenfranchisement of independents is especially egregious in places like New York that are dominated by one party. In a city where 65% of voters are Democrats and just 11% are Republicans, the Democratic primary is typically the election that decides the outcome. Because independents are locked out of the only election that matters, they’re left without a voice.

So… how many New Yorkers will actually cast a ballot that counts? In 2021, turnout in the decisive Democratic mayoral primary was just 19% — meaning fewer than one in five voters cast a meaningful vote to choose the leader of the largest city in the country. In 2025, we expect a similar result.

The good news? This problem — what we call the Primary Problem — is solvable. In an open, all-candidate primary, every candidate appears on the same ballot, and every voter can participate — regardless of party. Alaska, California, Louisiana, Nebraska, and Washington already use some form of all-candidate primaries for state or federal offices.

These systems lead to more competitive elections — and more than twice as many meaningful votes compared to closed primary systems. That, in turn, produces better governance. In Alaska, for instance, bipartisan majorities formed quickly after reform was enacted, paving the way for real progress on energy, education, and the budget.

New York City should be next — and soon, voters may get the chance to make it happen. The NYC Charter Revision Commission is considering referring an open primaries measure to this November’s ballot.

In the city that sets the tone for the nation, it’s time to lead the way on fixing our democracy.

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