Vote in The People's Money through June 25th!
You pick. We pay. The People's Money — CEC's citywide participatory budgeting process — is in its voting phase! Now through June 25th, all New Yorkers age 11 and up, regardless of citizenship or incarceration status, can vote on how to spend $4 million dollars worth of city funds in their boroughs. All of the program and project ideas came directly from the people in your communities, and now it's your chance to make your voice heard and vote on which ones will be implemented in your borough!
How do I vote?
🗳️ Vote online at on.nyc.gov/pb
🗳️ Vote in-person through one of our partners or at our upcoming flagship events! Come find us at:
- Manhattan Museum Mile – June 10
Learn more about The People's Money!
- Check out our Instagram @nyccec to see what's on each borough's ballot, learn about our flagship events, and more!
- Go to participate.nyc.gov to learn more about the process and history of The People's Money!
Your Voice, Your Vote: Enter our social media raffle for a chance to win $250!
Why are you voting in The People's Money?
If you share your answer to that question in a video posted on social media, you will be entered in a raffle where four winners will receive a $250 gift card!
How to enter:
- Post a video (90 seconds max) on Instagram or X sharing why you're voting in The People's Money
- Say where you're from (ex. "I'm from Queens!")
- Use #ThePeoplesMoneyNYC and tag @nyccec
- Include "Visit on.nyc.gov/pb to vote!" in the caption
DEADLINE TO ENTER: Friday, June 20
Winners will be announced on June 27!
Serve Your Community: Become a Voter Language Assistance Program Volunteer!
Do you speak any of the following languages?
- Arabic
- Bangla
- Cantonese
- French
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- Haitian
- Italian
- Korean
- Mandarin
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- Polish
- Russian
- Urdu
- Yiddish
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If so, CEC — and your community — needs your help! Our Voter Language Assistance Program provides language services to voters with Limited English Proficiency during elections, and by becoming one of our community outreach volunteers, you can help make sure everyone is able to vote, no matter what language they speak.
Visit on.nyc.gov/vlavolunteers to learn more and sign up!
What to know about the June Primary Election
The 2025 June Primary Election is only a few weeks away (Tuesday, June 24), so here's what you need to know to make sure you're staying civically engaged this election season:
What is this election for?
There are five citywide offices on the ballot, which you can learn more about here:
- Mayor
- Public Advocate
- Comptroller
- Borough Presidents
- City Council
Depending on where you live, more offices may appear on your ballot. See the full list of candidates here. You can also learn more about the candidates during their debates!
When is the election?
Election Day is Tuesday, June 24th. You can also vote early from Saturday, June 14th to Sunday, June 22nd. See the list of poll sites and their hours here!
If you won't be able to vote in-person, find out how to request an Early Mail Ballot or an Absentee Ballot here.
How do I register to vote?
If you're not already registered to vote, you must do so no later than June 14 in order to be able to vote in the Primary Election.
You can register online or in person at your local board of elections, at any New York State Agency-Based voter registration center, or at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Learn more about the voter registration process and qualifications here.
Can I vote if I don't speak English?
Yes! You have the right to bring a friend or family member to interpret for you at the polls. CEC interpreters will also assist voters in select poll sites and languages, including Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin), French, Haitian Creole, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Urdu, and Yiddish.
Learn more at on.nyc.gov/vla.
What is Ranked Choice Voting?
NYC uses ranked choice voting for local offices, meaning instead of just picking one candidate like you may be used to in bigger state or federal elections, you can rank up to five candidates in order of your preference. Learn more about how it works in the video below.
Have more questions about voting in NYC?
See the Board of Elections' FAQ and/or NYC Votes' website.
The People's Money Partner Spotlight: Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club
Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club is implementing the Youth Activity and Enrichment Program with the Arts People's Money project in the Bronx neighborhoods of Soundview, Clason Point, Castle Hill and Unionport.
The program involved a total of 16 workshops in May including, but not limited to, an Artistry Unbound Cookoff, a job fair, and classes in dance, pottery, and music production!
These events made a meaningful difference by bringing people together, strengthening social connections, and fostering a sense of belonging for participants. Overall, the project provided a positive outlet for engagement, encouraged healthy lifestyles through friendly competition, and created valuable opportunities for networking and collaboration across diverse groups of people.
Building Community Power: Capacity Building Workshops in Action
Our implementing partners from year 2 of The People's Money have finished their series of capacity-building workshops! After applying to implement the projects from the last cycle of The People's Money and attending multiple training sessions led by CEC staff, the organizations are now able to fully launch their projects!
The workshops provided our partners with tools for narrative building and data collection, ultimately helping them answer the question the CEC's Chief Information Officer, Oscar Romero, asks in this video about the workshops: "How do we connect the things that we do to the change we want to see in our communities?"
We've worked together to make sure our partners are able to share the hard work they're doing — and the community needs they're meeting — through structured storytelling. As Oscar says, the workshops were ultimately intended to make us "be able to be accountable to New Yorkers and say, here is how the organizations implemented your project, here's how your money impacted people's lives."
Watch the video below to learn more!
A Recap of our Flagship Events!
From parades to festivals and community celebrations, we've been popping up at flagship events across the city to make sure all New Yorkers get a say in how the city spends part of its budget. So far, we've gone to the Bronx Week Parade & Festival, BAM DanceAfrica in Brooklyn, and the Queens PRIDE Parade collecting ballots and spreading the word on The People's Money.
If you missed us, don't worry! We still have two more events we'll be attending — Staten Island Family Fun Day on June 7 and Manhattan Museum Mile on June 10 — and we'd love to see you there! In the meantime, here's a look at the events so far!
Pride Month Spotlight: Dr. Carla Smith & The LGBT Community Center
In honor of June being Pride Month, we are highlighting Dr. Carla Smith, the Chief Executive Officer of The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center and the first person of color to lead The Center.
"Carla is an accomplished, visionary, and dynamic leader with 25 years of experience in social services and an unwavering commitment to centering historically neglected populations," said Rahul Tripathi, the President of the Board of The Center.
Smith was previously the Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Urban Resource Institute. She holds a Doctorate in education and has received numerous awards for her work, including being listed on the 2023 Schneps Media LGBTQIA Power List and as a 2023 & 2022 Crain's New York Notable LGBTQIA+ Leader.
The Center was established at the height of the AIDS crisis in 1983 to provide a safe and affirming space for LGBTQ+ activism in the city through a community-driven approach, and Smith continues to spearhead that mission today and into the future "with a shared commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and empowerment," in her words.
Now, both in-person and virtually, The Center provides recovery and wellness programs, economic advancement initiatives, family and youth support, advocacy, arts and cultural programming, and space for community organizing, connection, and celebration.
Learn more about The Center at gaycenter.org
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