2017 Primaries

Primary Day Open Thread

With contested races for many City Council seats, today voters will decide who will set city transportation policy for the next four years.

By Brad Aaron

10:03 AM EDT on September 12, 2017

Who will be doing the people's business at City Hall in 2021? Photo: Momos/Wikimedia Commons

Primary day is here.

With contested races for many City Council seats, and Democrats dominant in most districts, today voters will decide who will set city transportation policy for the next four years.

There are other races to watch. Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez is up against several challengers in the first election since the death of his boss Ken Thompson. Four candidates, with Sal Albanese getting the most press, want to unseat Mayor Bill de Blasio. (See Gotham Gazette for a complete list of candidates citywide.)

Despite their importance, primaries usually don’t draw a lot of people to the polls, and races can be decided by small margins. This is the rare election in New York where your vote counts for something.

Check our 2017 primaries archive for coverage of this election season, candidate Q&As, and to see how StreetsPAC weighed in on City Council contests.

Thoughts on today’s races? Long lines — or no lines — at your polling site? Let us know in the comments.

Brad Aaron

Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.

2017 Primaries | Elections