October 2, 2025 • 16 mins
Tim Hunter Explains Everything You Need to Know About NYC Votes & This Year’s Ballot + More
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
What's up?
Speaker 2 (00:04):
His way up with Angela Yee and my guy Tim
Hunter is back from NYC Votes.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome back. Thank you so much for having me. I'm
so glad you're here because we are getting ready for some.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Major elections here in New York City. So what I
want you to do first and foremost is talk about
NYC Votes. And I know you've been here before, but
in case people did not catch that, talk about the
work that.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
You do well.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
NYC Votes is a nonpartisan, independent voter initial voter engagement
initiative of the Campaign Finance Board. It's our job to
make sure that New Yorkers have all the resources and
tools that they need to actively participate in our democracy.
We know that, of course, this election is very highly anticipated.
A lot of people turned out for the June A
lot of people turned out for the June election, and
(00:47):
we want to make sure that we see similar results
in November, especially as you know, there's a number of
questions that we're going to be dealing with, obviously, who
our next mayor is going to be, who maybe your
next local council member is going to be, and even
some bout proposals, and we'll get into all that today.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
You know, I'm watching all that, and like you said,
your work is strictly to make sure that people are
registered on time, know those deadlines, know what's on the ballot,
and vote.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
You're not telling people who to vote for in any way.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Correct, Yeah, we are not telling you who to vote for.
We're not telling you which value proposals to vote for.
We just want to make sure that you have those
resources and our website is a great tool to get
access to figure out what's going to be on the
ballot and who you can potentially vote for through our
voter guide. And also if you have any other questions
any of our voter engagement initiatives that are happening all
across the city up until election.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Day, how can you participate?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
I was on the site of course, So there's a
lot of deadlines that people also need to know about.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
For instance, I moved last year, change of address October
twentieth October, look at you know, to write it down.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Also, early voting that's important too, because you don't want
to wait if you don't have to till the day
of just because anything can happen. So if you have
the ability to get out and vote early, that's always
a great option.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
What are those days, So we want to make sure that.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Of course, as New Yorkers like are figuring out who
to vote for, that they know when they can vote,
as you kind of highlighted. So November fourth is election day,
so that is the last day for you to vote.
You can also postmark your ballot this last day of
postmark your ballot if you're voting by mail or voting
through absentee ballot. And then early voting, which is my
favorite because I like to beat the lines. I don't
(02:20):
want to be waiting in line. I know this past
June election people were it was very hot on election day,
so you know it's good to get out and vote
early to avoid that. You have from October twenty fifth,
which is the Saturday, all the way to November two,
which is that.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Perfect that's plenty of time, yes, And so we want
to make sure you know all of these deadlines registering
to vote too, because you have to also make sure
you're registered, right.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
So the deadline for.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
That October twenty fifth, so the same day as early voting,
is the same day as the last data register to vote.
So you want to make sure if you're not registered.
If you're listening, if you can hear my voice right now,
please get registered as soon as possible, don't wait.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
And it's so easy.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Yeah, it takes five minutes if you have your state
ID and you can just go on our website and
YC votes dot org. We have all the information that
you need there. I've seen people do it in less
than two minutes.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
And what's on the ballot, because that's also on the website,
so people can understand it's not just voting for the mayor.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah, it's not.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
It's not. There's so many other important races and also
important proposals that are going to be on the ballot
this year. You have, of course the mayoral race. That's
the headliner. Don't forget. We also have some debates coming up,
right and I know we have something in store for that,
but we'll get to that a little bit later. But
you also have local council members might be on your ballot,
depending on if they have a you know, a real
challenge this November. You also have borough presidents or our
(03:35):
borough wide representatives will also be on the ballot, in
addition to other citywide offices such as city comptroller, and
the public advocate. These are all folks that have different
roles to play in our local democracy, but are equally
important for you to make sure that you weigh in
on because you don't want someone making that decision for you.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah, no, listen, so important because I happen to know,
like who's our public advocate. I also know who's my
city council people. All of those things. I think you
have to make sure and it's never too late to
get involved, because that's not something I ever really paid
attention to in the past, but now with so much
going on, I know, housing, affordable housing has been a
really hot topic.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Yeah, yeah, affordable housing has been a big topic. A
lot of people are talking about their plan being the
best planned for New Yorkers. You know, New Yorkers are
facing displacement. You also have our education system right, parents
care about schools and childcare, and also small business owners
like yourself. I think are paying close attention to this
race because you know it will determine a lot about
(04:34):
what our city has to offer working class New Yorkers
and New Yorkers from all across you know, the five boroughs.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
You know, I've just hired an assistant for the first
time ever and she's starting soon. But one thing, she
has two small children, and so she has literally been
NonStop looking for because she's moving from Maryland wow to Brooklyn.
And so one of the main things that has been
an issue is finding like, okay, childcare, where am I
putting my kids in school? Some of it's really expensive,
(05:03):
so she might love one place, but she's like, ooh, girl,
this costs twelve hundred dollars a week, Like it's ridiculous
the amount of money that it costs. And then of
course housing has been such a major concern. Now you know,
I live in Brooklyn, I live in Bedstye.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Yeah, before not anymore. I got to give a new phrase,
do or gentrify? Oh goodness, I said last time. That's
not brushing want Yeah, exactly, It's definitely not that.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
But I was saying before we started this, you know,
we had this Black Association meeting, and one of the
main things that has to happen is there are definitely,
like we said, the neighborhoods are gentrifying. But with that
comes people who may want to change what the culture
has been before they even came here or even knew
about our neighborhoods, and so it's really important that we're
(05:49):
involved in making sure that And on a small microcosm level,
this black associate association media that we're having is important
because if don't show up and represent, decisions are going
to get me whether or not you're involved. And the
same thing with these elections, right, you cannot complain about
what's not getting done about affordability and housing if you're
not even showing up to the post of what because
(06:11):
you didn't even participate, you have a major voice heard.
You know, these are people that work for us. Yeah, right,
and so these are public servants, and so we do
have power and we do have a say.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
We just have to utilize that.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
I completely agree. And one thing, you know, that's why
I love coming here, Angelaue. I feel like you are
the embodiment of civic engagement. You want people to know
what's going on obviously in the real world day to day,
but also locally. I feel like the fact that you
have the time too to be like heavily involved and
have me on the podcast kind of like talk a
little bit about you know, what's happening in our city,
(06:44):
I think is important and I hope that anyone else
can take five minutes to get registered or to look
up candidates that are running to represent them, or get
involved in their block association. When we look at the
twenty twenty one general election, which was the last citywide
election that we had less than one in four New
Yorkers turned out to vote, that's a shame, you know.
That means that the elections are being determined by a
(07:05):
very small percentage of people. And if you're not at
the table, then you're on the menu. And I think
that a lot of New Yorkers, you know, need to
take note of this and try to like find a
way to get more involved. Of course, voting is where
it starts. It's the smallest thing you can do, but
there's so many other ways that you can engage with
your community.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Right, you can actually help a candidate that you really
like who's running for office. And listen, these debates are
really important too, right because we get to hear and
see these candidates interact with each other, see what they
have to say, because if they get put on the
spot and say that, you can't just say anything in
these debates because you will be called to task later
on about it. So I just think it's important that
we're paying attention to these debates. But also, and I've
(07:44):
said this to you before and in case people haven't
heard it, because I always learn a lot from Tim
when you come up here, like I appreciate it a lot.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
But make sure you do go to NYC votes because
that's how you can know.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
When you go and vote, you can know everything that
you're voting for.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
So when you go as.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Easy breezy, yeah right, because you don't want to be
in there to to make decisions on the spot, you
should definitely make sure that you're paying attention. And the
debates honestly are very entertaining to watch. I want to
say that also because anything can happen, because when I
tell you, at CUP we had a debate watch party
and every time somebody was dropping them boo, we was like, WHOA,
how you heard that? So it is something that I
(08:18):
think as a collective, we should be having these conversations together.
You know, it's thought provoking and you never know, you
may end up running for office one day.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
It's true, It's true.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
I think that you know, in addition to the debates,
sometimes they do get a little bit spicy, does but
you know, it's also important to make a plan, you know,
like I think watching the debates a great start. Looking
at the voter guide that we're going to mail to
millions of New Yorkers this year, so you can see,
you know, what's going to be in the Yeah, it's
a nice little booklet.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
It's a little bit hefty, but.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
It's important, and you know, so thumb through it to see
who's running to represents you. But also it's also important
to make a plan because there are going to be
other things on the ballot besides these candidates, right there
are going to be ballot proposals that New Yorkers are
going to have to consider, one of which has nothing
to do with the immediate New York City area. There's
a one ballot proposal that's.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Focusing Yeah, I was wondering what was that?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
So can you talk to me, because you know, I
was on a site, so talk to me about that,
because I was like, is this where is this?
Speaker 3 (09:12):
It's an upstate it's an upstate New York and it
would be it would be changing this BAT proposal would
change our state constitution to allow for the clearing of
you know, some forests, some preserved forest land to make
way for a ski trail. So it's important for all
New Yorkers to vote on that issue because it requires
an amendment to the state constitution, which is why it
(09:33):
has to go to all the voters to vote for.
But that's just one of them. The other five have
to deal with a number of New York City specific issues.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Housing.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Yeah, Housing, so like creating a panel that would kind
of like fast track the development of affordable housing. Currently
that rests with the City Council. There's member different so
the council members get to determine what passes and what
doesn't in terms of building housing in their district. There's
also another one that would shift or kind of you know,
encourag the state to shift to even your elections so
(10:02):
that way we're not voting, you know, for these very
important roles when there's such low turnout, Like we said,
less than one in four New Yorkers are voting in
these local elections in the general election, which is you know,
really bad considering there are so many registered voter Shure,
we don't have a voter registration problem. Over eighty percent
of New Yorkers are already registered.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
It's the turnout when you come to vote.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
And so if we're voting when it's a presidential election
for these elections, then it makes it a lot easier
for people to not have to come out again because
they're okay exactly.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
So you know, but again, we're not here to tell
you that. You're not here to tell you who to vote.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
That's what's on the this is what's on the ballot.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Yeah, so definitely do your research and uh, you know,
we had a you know, open testimony for anyone that
wanted to comment on their opinion on these ballot proposals.
So if you want to hear a second opinion, you
go to our website NYC votes dot org and you
can see what some organizations or what individuals have to
say about these bawl proposals, so you can formulate your
opinion before you go to vote.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
You know, Tim, I'm glad you're bringing all this up
with the bet proposals because I remember there was one
particular election when I didn't there was something on there
that I didn't understand, and I was like, oh, I
don't know if I'm supposed to like vote for this
or against it. And you don't want to get there
and get stuck like that true. And then one of
my friends who lives in LA she voted against something
that she meant to vote for and didn't find out
till after. Like, oh man, you know, so don't get
(11:20):
yourself in that position where you're going because, like we said,
these things really matter a lot, because people would not
be trying to tell you it doesn't matter if it you.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
Know exactly, because it does.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
They want you to feel like, oh, don't vote, it
doesn't matter because if you're silly enough to believe that,
you know, they already got you exactly.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
And these bowel proposals are you know, they can be
confusing at times. I think a lot of people show
up to vote and they're just going to go vote
for that first race at the top of the ballot.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
But I'm encouraging you all do some more.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Research, look through that voter guide, be a little bit
more like angelayee, you know, like, you know, be prepared
when you head to the polls. And I think that
you know, you'll be happy with yourself when you see
those election results.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
All right, perfect, And I want to stress I was
not always like this. This is like in the past, maybe,
like I want to say, like eight years, I've realized
how important this is. I've always voted, but I've never
like you know, gotten in depth the way that I
have now.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
And like I said, this matter is too much.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
As we're seeing what's happening for you know, for the
next generation, we can't be selfish and only think about ourselves.
A lot of things that are being laid out is
the groundwork for what's to come. So we just have
to make sure that we're participating. And this is an
exciting one. I do want to say that, so.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Very exciting, very exciting, and I also want to, you know,
make sure I flag I know that you know a
lot of people that may have voted in the June
election may have utilized ranked choice voting. That's not going
to be something that we're using this November election. So
whoever gets the most votes, that's the person that wins.
So no eliminations like last time, and it's you know,
(12:49):
no brackets. You know, March Madness is next. You got
a few months before March Madness leader gott to worry
about that.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Now, what would you say to New Yorkers who maybe
are feeling disconnected or feeling like it does doesn't even matter, Like,
I'm not even going to buy the voting. Why why
should I even show up and waste my time?
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Well, I think it's important to recognize that local elections
are oftentimes determined by a handful of votes, and if
you know that going in, you're more inclined to have
your decision, your your choice be reflected in those decisions
and the end decision making when we tell you those votes,
you don't want to say, oh, I decided to not
(13:27):
vote for that local council race, and then it's determined
by two or three votes, and you could have been
the difference maker. Someone that you may be aligned with
a little bit more or support more could have won
if you decided to vote. But because you only care
about the mayoral race, you're leaving these other races out
to dry. So I think that's number one and number two,
it's important for you to vote for your block, vote
(13:48):
for your neighborhood. Again, you're not just voting for yourself.
You're voting for the community around you. You're voting for
your family, you're voting for social services. Some things like
social services that sometimes you don't even think about, like
taking the bus or the train or your you know,
child or niece or nephew going to school. This is
what you're you're voting on. We're talking about billions of
(14:08):
dollars on the line. So if this was your money,
if you had a billion dollars, you want to make
sure that your voice is reflected on how that money
is being spent.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Some of this is your money, by the way, guys,
everyone is coming from you, Okay.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Taxpayer dollars. These are technic the tax Now this money
you do not even participating.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
You pay their salaries and you're paying for their policy
proposals that they're putting forth right, So it's important that
you know you don't sit it out because you're discouraged.
And you know a lot of people say I only
vote in presidential elections. You know, I don't believe in
that either. Local elections are just as important, and you
need to make sure that you're represented in all levels
of government.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
All right, you heard it here? First voting is sexy, Yes, yes,
it is.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
All right, Tim.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
What's the website for people who are listening so they
can get all this information and they can go ahead
and make sure they're well prepared.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Well. NYC Votes Dot Org. You can look, you can
learn about the candidates that are going to be on
your ballot. You can learn about these Bawl proposals. You
can get registered. You can also, you know, maybe earn
some free swag from NYC Votes. You can take our
voter pledge, so pledge to vote, and we'll make sure
that we text you whenever there's upcoming elections, you know,
in your area, whether the special elections or the June
(15:14):
or November primaries or the sorry, the June primaries and
the November election. And we just want to make sure
that New Yorkers, you know, think of voting as fun.
It's important, but it can be fun. You can do
your research, you can talk to your friends, your family members.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
Can come to our debate viewing party, yes and October
twenty hang out with us, Yes, October twenty second at
coffee Uplifts. People will be there so you can watch
the can't watch the debates with us And it's like
a it's like a party for real. It really is
like we're watching it and we are locked in.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
The food is also amazing, yes.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
And the drinks all right, well, thank you so much again,
Tim Hunter. NYC Votes and you'll be back right before.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Yeah, we're going to talk debates. We got to pushing this.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
All we want you to do is register to vote
and then go out actually vote after you register.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
All right, it's way up
Speaker 2 (16:06):
M
What's up?
Speaker 2 (00:04):
His way up with Angela Yee and my guy Tim
Hunter is back from NYC Votes.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome back. Thank you so much for having me. I'm
so glad you're here because we are getting ready for some.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Major elections here in New York City. So what I
want you to do first and foremost is talk about
NYC Votes. And I know you've been here before, but
in case people did not catch that, talk about the
work that.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
You do well.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
NYC Votes is a nonpartisan, independent voter initial voter engagement
initiative of the Campaign Finance Board. It's our job to
make sure that New Yorkers have all the resources and
tools that they need to actively participate in our democracy.
We know that, of course, this election is very highly anticipated.
A lot of people turned out for the June A
lot of people turned out for the June election, and
(00:47):
we want to make sure that we see similar results
in November, especially as you know, there's a number of
questions that we're going to be dealing with, obviously, who
our next mayor is going to be, who maybe your
next local council member is going to be, and even
some bout proposals, and we'll get into all that today.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
You know, I'm watching all that, and like you said,
your work is strictly to make sure that people are
registered on time, know those deadlines, know what's on the ballot,
and vote.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
You're not telling people who to vote for in any way.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Correct, Yeah, we are not telling you who to vote for.
We're not telling you which value proposals to vote for.
We just want to make sure that you have those
resources and our website is a great tool to get
access to figure out what's going to be on the
ballot and who you can potentially vote for through our
voter guide. And also if you have any other questions
any of our voter engagement initiatives that are happening all
across the city up until election.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Day, how can you participate?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
I was on the site of course, So there's a
lot of deadlines that people also need to know about.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
For instance, I moved last year, change of address October
twentieth October, look at you know, to write it down.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Also, early voting that's important too, because you don't want
to wait if you don't have to till the day
of just because anything can happen. So if you have
the ability to get out and vote early, that's always
a great option.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
What are those days, So we want to make sure that.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Of course, as New Yorkers like are figuring out who
to vote for, that they know when they can vote,
as you kind of highlighted. So November fourth is election day,
so that is the last day for you to vote.
You can also postmark your ballot this last day of
postmark your ballot if you're voting by mail or voting
through absentee ballot. And then early voting, which is my
favorite because I like to beat the lines. I don't
(02:20):
want to be waiting in line. I know this past
June election people were it was very hot on election day,
so you know it's good to get out and vote
early to avoid that. You have from October twenty fifth,
which is the Saturday, all the way to November two,
which is that.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Perfect that's plenty of time, yes, And so we want
to make sure you know all of these deadlines registering
to vote too, because you have to also make sure
you're registered, right.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
So the deadline for.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
That October twenty fifth, so the same day as early voting,
is the same day as the last data register to vote.
So you want to make sure if you're not registered.
If you're listening, if you can hear my voice right now,
please get registered as soon as possible, don't wait.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
And it's so easy.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Yeah, it takes five minutes if you have your state
ID and you can just go on our website and
YC votes dot org. We have all the information that
you need there. I've seen people do it in less
than two minutes.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
And what's on the ballot, because that's also on the website,
so people can understand it's not just voting for the mayor.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah, it's not.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
It's not. There's so many other important races and also
important proposals that are going to be on the ballot
this year. You have, of course the mayoral race. That's
the headliner. Don't forget. We also have some debates coming up,
right and I know we have something in store for that,
but we'll get to that a little bit later. But
you also have local council members might be on your ballot,
depending on if they have a you know, a real
challenge this November. You also have borough presidents or our
(03:35):
borough wide representatives will also be on the ballot, in
addition to other citywide offices such as city comptroller, and
the public advocate. These are all folks that have different
roles to play in our local democracy, but are equally
important for you to make sure that you weigh in
on because you don't want someone making that decision for you.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah, no, listen, so important because I happen to know,
like who's our public advocate. I also know who's my
city council people. All of those things. I think you
have to make sure and it's never too late to
get involved, because that's not something I ever really paid
attention to in the past, but now with so much
going on, I know, housing, affordable housing has been a
really hot topic.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Yeah, yeah, affordable housing has been a big topic. A
lot of people are talking about their plan being the
best planned for New Yorkers. You know, New Yorkers are
facing displacement. You also have our education system right, parents
care about schools and childcare, and also small business owners
like yourself. I think are paying close attention to this
race because you know it will determine a lot about
(04:34):
what our city has to offer working class New Yorkers
and New Yorkers from all across you know, the five boroughs.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
You know, I've just hired an assistant for the first
time ever and she's starting soon. But one thing, she
has two small children, and so she has literally been
NonStop looking for because she's moving from Maryland wow to Brooklyn.
And so one of the main things that has been
an issue is finding like, okay, childcare, where am I
putting my kids in school? Some of it's really expensive,
(05:03):
so she might love one place, but she's like, ooh, girl,
this costs twelve hundred dollars a week, Like it's ridiculous
the amount of money that it costs. And then of
course housing has been such a major concern. Now you know,
I live in Brooklyn, I live in Bedstye.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Yeah, before not anymore. I got to give a new phrase,
do or gentrify? Oh goodness, I said last time. That's
not brushing want Yeah, exactly, It's definitely not that.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
But I was saying before we started this, you know,
we had this Black Association meeting, and one of the
main things that has to happen is there are definitely,
like we said, the neighborhoods are gentrifying. But with that
comes people who may want to change what the culture
has been before they even came here or even knew
about our neighborhoods, and so it's really important that we're
(05:49):
involved in making sure that And on a small microcosm level,
this black associate association media that we're having is important
because if don't show up and represent, decisions are going
to get me whether or not you're involved. And the
same thing with these elections, right, you cannot complain about
what's not getting done about affordability and housing if you're
not even showing up to the post of what because
(06:11):
you didn't even participate, you have a major voice heard.
You know, these are people that work for us. Yeah, right,
and so these are public servants, and so we do
have power and we do have a say.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
We just have to utilize that.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
I completely agree. And one thing, you know, that's why
I love coming here, Angelaue. I feel like you are
the embodiment of civic engagement. You want people to know
what's going on obviously in the real world day to day,
but also locally. I feel like the fact that you
have the time too to be like heavily involved and
have me on the podcast kind of like talk a
little bit about you know, what's happening in our city,
(06:44):
I think is important and I hope that anyone else
can take five minutes to get registered or to look
up candidates that are running to represent them, or get
involved in their block association. When we look at the
twenty twenty one general election, which was the last citywide
election that we had less than one in four New
Yorkers turned out to vote, that's a shame, you know.
That means that the elections are being determined by a
(07:05):
very small percentage of people. And if you're not at
the table, then you're on the menu. And I think
that a lot of New Yorkers, you know, need to
take note of this and try to like find a
way to get more involved. Of course, voting is where
it starts. It's the smallest thing you can do, but
there's so many other ways that you can engage with
your community.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Right, you can actually help a candidate that you really
like who's running for office. And listen, these debates are
really important too, right because we get to hear and
see these candidates interact with each other, see what they
have to say, because if they get put on the
spot and say that, you can't just say anything in
these debates because you will be called to task later
on about it. So I just think it's important that
we're paying attention to these debates. But also, and I've
(07:44):
said this to you before and in case people haven't
heard it, because I always learn a lot from Tim
when you come up here, like I appreciate it a lot.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
But make sure you do go to NYC votes because
that's how you can know.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
When you go and vote, you can know everything that
you're voting for.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
So when you go as.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Easy breezy, yeah right, because you don't want to be
in there to to make decisions on the spot, you
should definitely make sure that you're paying attention. And the
debates honestly are very entertaining to watch. I want to
say that also because anything can happen, because when I
tell you, at CUP we had a debate watch party
and every time somebody was dropping them boo, we was like, WHOA,
how you heard that? So it is something that I
(08:18):
think as a collective, we should be having these conversations together.
You know, it's thought provoking and you never know, you
may end up running for office one day.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
It's true, It's true.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
I think that you know, in addition to the debates,
sometimes they do get a little bit spicy, does but
you know, it's also important to make a plan, you know,
like I think watching the debates a great start. Looking
at the voter guide that we're going to mail to
millions of New Yorkers this year, so you can see,
you know, what's going to be in the Yeah, it's
a nice little booklet.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
It's a little bit hefty, but.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
It's important, and you know, so thumb through it to see
who's running to represents you. But also it's also important
to make a plan because there are going to be
other things on the ballot besides these candidates, right there
are going to be ballot proposals that New Yorkers are
going to have to consider, one of which has nothing
to do with the immediate New York City area. There's
a one ballot proposal that's.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Focusing Yeah, I was wondering what was that?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
So can you talk to me, because you know, I
was on a site, so talk to me about that,
because I was like, is this where is this?
Speaker 3 (09:12):
It's an upstate it's an upstate New York and it
would be it would be changing this BAT proposal would
change our state constitution to allow for the clearing of
you know, some forests, some preserved forest land to make
way for a ski trail. So it's important for all
New Yorkers to vote on that issue because it requires
an amendment to the state constitution, which is why it
(09:33):
has to go to all the voters to vote for.
But that's just one of them. The other five have
to deal with a number of New York City specific issues.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Housing.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Yeah, Housing, so like creating a panel that would kind
of like fast track the development of affordable housing. Currently
that rests with the City Council. There's member different so
the council members get to determine what passes and what
doesn't in terms of building housing in their district. There's
also another one that would shift or kind of you know,
encourag the state to shift to even your elections so
(10:02):
that way we're not voting, you know, for these very
important roles when there's such low turnout, Like we said,
less than one in four New Yorkers are voting in
these local elections in the general election, which is you know,
really bad considering there are so many registered voter Shure,
we don't have a voter registration problem. Over eighty percent
of New Yorkers are already registered.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
It's the turnout when you come to vote.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
And so if we're voting when it's a presidential election
for these elections, then it makes it a lot easier
for people to not have to come out again because
they're okay exactly.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
So you know, but again, we're not here to tell
you that. You're not here to tell you who to vote.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
That's what's on the this is what's on the ballot.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Yeah, so definitely do your research and uh, you know,
we had a you know, open testimony for anyone that
wanted to comment on their opinion on these ballot proposals.
So if you want to hear a second opinion, you
go to our website NYC votes dot org and you
can see what some organizations or what individuals have to
say about these bawl proposals, so you can formulate your
opinion before you go to vote.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
You know, Tim, I'm glad you're bringing all this up
with the bet proposals because I remember there was one
particular election when I didn't there was something on there
that I didn't understand, and I was like, oh, I
don't know if I'm supposed to like vote for this
or against it. And you don't want to get there
and get stuck like that true. And then one of
my friends who lives in LA she voted against something
that she meant to vote for and didn't find out
till after. Like, oh man, you know, so don't get
(11:20):
yourself in that position where you're going because, like we said,
these things really matter a lot, because people would not
be trying to tell you it doesn't matter if it you.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
Know exactly, because it does.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
They want you to feel like, oh, don't vote, it
doesn't matter because if you're silly enough to believe that,
you know, they already got you exactly.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
And these bowel proposals are you know, they can be
confusing at times. I think a lot of people show
up to vote and they're just going to go vote
for that first race at the top of the ballot.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
But I'm encouraging you all do some more.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Research, look through that voter guide, be a little bit
more like angelayee, you know, like, you know, be prepared
when you head to the polls. And I think that
you know, you'll be happy with yourself when you see
those election results.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
All right, perfect, And I want to stress I was
not always like this. This is like in the past, maybe,
like I want to say, like eight years, I've realized
how important this is. I've always voted, but I've never
like you know, gotten in depth the way that I
have now.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
And like I said, this matter is too much.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
As we're seeing what's happening for you know, for the
next generation, we can't be selfish and only think about ourselves.
A lot of things that are being laid out is
the groundwork for what's to come. So we just have
to make sure that we're participating. And this is an
exciting one. I do want to say that, so.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Very exciting, very exciting, and I also want to, you know,
make sure I flag I know that you know a
lot of people that may have voted in the June
election may have utilized ranked choice voting. That's not going
to be something that we're using this November election. So
whoever gets the most votes, that's the person that wins.
So no eliminations like last time, and it's you know,
(12:49):
no brackets. You know, March Madness is next. You got
a few months before March Madness leader gott to worry
about that.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Now, what would you say to New Yorkers who maybe
are feeling disconnected or feeling like it does doesn't even matter, Like,
I'm not even going to buy the voting. Why why
should I even show up and waste my time?
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Well, I think it's important to recognize that local elections
are oftentimes determined by a handful of votes, and if
you know that going in, you're more inclined to have
your decision, your your choice be reflected in those decisions
and the end decision making when we tell you those votes,
you don't want to say, oh, I decided to not
(13:27):
vote for that local council race, and then it's determined
by two or three votes, and you could have been
the difference maker. Someone that you may be aligned with
a little bit more or support more could have won
if you decided to vote. But because you only care
about the mayoral race, you're leaving these other races out
to dry. So I think that's number one and number two,
it's important for you to vote for your block, vote
(13:48):
for your neighborhood. Again, you're not just voting for yourself.
You're voting for the community around you. You're voting for
your family, you're voting for social services. Some things like
social services that sometimes you don't even think about, like
taking the bus or the train or your you know,
child or niece or nephew going to school. This is
what you're you're voting on. We're talking about billions of
(14:08):
dollars on the line. So if this was your money,
if you had a billion dollars, you want to make
sure that your voice is reflected on how that money
is being spent.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Some of this is your money, by the way, guys,
everyone is coming from you, Okay.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Taxpayer dollars. These are technic the tax Now this money
you do not even participating.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
You pay their salaries and you're paying for their policy
proposals that they're putting forth right, So it's important that
you know you don't sit it out because you're discouraged.
And you know a lot of people say I only
vote in presidential elections. You know, I don't believe in
that either. Local elections are just as important, and you
need to make sure that you're represented in all levels
of government.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
All right, you heard it here? First voting is sexy, Yes, yes,
it is.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
All right, Tim.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
What's the website for people who are listening so they
can get all this information and they can go ahead
and make sure they're well prepared.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Well. NYC Votes Dot Org. You can look, you can
learn about the candidates that are going to be on
your ballot. You can learn about these Bawl proposals. You
can get registered. You can also, you know, maybe earn
some free swag from NYC Votes. You can take our
voter pledge, so pledge to vote, and we'll make sure
that we text you whenever there's upcoming elections, you know,
in your area, whether the special elections or the June
(15:14):
or November primaries or the sorry, the June primaries and
the November election. And we just want to make sure
that New Yorkers, you know, think of voting as fun.
It's important, but it can be fun. You can do
your research, you can talk to your friends, your family members.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
Can come to our debate viewing party, yes and October
twenty hang out with us, Yes, October twenty second at
coffee Uplifts. People will be there so you can watch
the can't watch the debates with us And it's like
a it's like a party for real. It really is
like we're watching it and we are locked in.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
The food is also amazing, yes.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
And the drinks all right, well, thank you so much again,
Tim Hunter. NYC Votes and you'll be back right before.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Yeah, we're going to talk debates. We got to pushing this.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
All we want you to do is register to vote
and then go out actually vote after you register.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
All right, it's way up
Speaker 2 (16:06):
M
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