Voting is open for The People's Money! Cast your ballot now!
$4 million. 5 boroughs. 20 projects. The People's Money — our annual citywide participatory budgeting process — is now in its Voting phase! Through June 21, all New Yorkers 11 and older, regardless of immigration status, can help decide how to spend $4 million of the city budget on community projects and programs that will directly impact neighborhoods across the five boroughs.
How do I vote?
🗳️ Vote online at on.nyc.gov/pb
🗳️ Find an in-person voting location or community voting event at participate.nyc.gov, or come find the CEC at one of our flagship events:
- Bronx Week Parade & Festival - May 17
- Staten Island Family Fun Day - June 6
- Queens Pride Parade & Festival - June 7
- Museum Mile Festival - June 9
- Brooklyn Pride Festival - June 13
The vote kicked off on May 6 with a public launch event and celebration at City Hall Park featuring community leaders, our giant Sunny puppets, a mariachi band, and the first opportunity for New Yorkers to vote in-person.
At the event, the Commission announced exciting new partnerships with cultural institutions across the five boroughs — BRIC Arts Media in Brooklyn, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, El Museo del Barrio in Manhattan, Flushing Town Hall in Queens, and Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden in Staten Island — which will serve as hubs for civic participation and community engagement throughout the Vote phase.
We also debuted a special limited-edition "The People's Money" ice cream flavor, matcha mango mochi — created in partnership with the Harlem-based ice cream shop Sugar Hill Creamery — which will be available at all three of their Harlem stores during the voting window!
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!
What to know about the June Primary Election
New York's Primary Election is coming up on Tuesday, June 23, so here's what you need to know to make sure you're staying civically engaged this election season:
What is this election for?
In this election, voters registered with a major political party can vote for:
- Governor and Lieutenant Governor
- State Attorney General
- State Comptroller
- State Senate
- State Assembly
Depending on where you live, you may also be able to vote for:
- U.S. House of Representatives
- City Council (Council District 3 only)
When is the election?
Election Day is Tuesday, June 23. You can also vote early from Saturday, June 13 to Sunday, June 21. Find your poll site 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 13 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. You can also register by mail.
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, Yiddish, and — as of a recent resolution our Commissioners passed to expand our language services — Albanian and Greek.
Learn more at on.nyc.gov/vla.
Have more questions about voting in NYC?
See the Board of Elections' FAQ and/or the NYC Votes website.
The People's Money: Designed by Community — Meet the fellows!
As part of The People's Money: Designed by Community (DxC), the Service Design Studio and Cambio Labs have hired six Designed by Community fellows!
As locals of Harlem and New York, these fellows will co-design Cambio Lab's Harlem Youth Entrepreneurship Program — one of the winning project ideas from the last cycle of The People's Money. Over the coming months, Fellows will engage local youth, entrepreneurs, and community organizations to design how this program will come to life. Together, they bring lived experience, local insight, and a commitment to building opportunities for young entrepreneurs in Harlem.
Learn more about the six fellows here!
Civic Leader Spotlight: Michael Lee of the Museum of Chinese in America
In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, this month's Civic Leader Spotlight recognizes Michael Lee, President of the Museum of Chinese in America, for his longstanding commitment to community leadership, youth mentorship, and civic engagement across New York City.
A native New Yorker, Michael has spent his career working at the intersection of education, philanthropy, and community empowerment. He previously served as Executive Director of Apex for Youth, where he helped expand mentorship and educational opportunities for underserved Asian youth, and has worked with a number of organizations focused on community engagement and advocacy, including serving as the Director of Development at the Committee of 100.
Michael's commitment to community extends beyond his professional work — he serves on the board of directors of the Chinese American Planning Council, Central Queens Academy Charter School, and the Red Hook Initiative. He also brings his commitment to mentorship into the classroom and community, teaching a business course in Brooklyn, and also teaching martial arts and lion dance.
We're proud to highlight leaders like Michael whose work helps foster a more engaged and connected New York City.
Knock Doors and Organize with the Mayor's Office of Mass Engagement
The new Mayoral administration has new initiatives rolling out! Hear from the Mayor's Office of Mass Engagement about one of them below:
Last month, the NYC Mayor's Office of Mass Engagement launched Organize NYC, our multi-year project to bring organizing directly into the work of government and to build the power of everyday New Yorkers. More info can be found at www.organize.nyc.gov.
Our first campaign is focused on the Rent Guidelines Board, and we need you to take action, through our NYC 101 civic education events and citywide canvassing.
This Thursday, May 14th at 6:30 pm, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to learn more about how their government works through our first civic education event – NYC 101: Rent Stabilization & The Affordability Crisis. We'll focus on demystifying the affordability crisis, rent stabilization, and tenant organizing history in New York City. Participants will gain a greater understanding of housing in New York City and how you can be part of shaping your city.
SIGN UP FOR NYC 101
Next, we need you to hit the doors. In June, the Rent Guidelines Board will decide whether the rents of the more than 2 million New Yorkers living in rent stabilized units will go up or stay the same. But before the board comes to a decision on that vote, they will hold public hearings across the city to hear from rent-stabilized tenants and landlords about how a rent increase or lack thereof would impact them.
Last year, only 400 New Yorkers testified - that's less than 1% of those impacted by the RGB's decision. That's why this year we are asking for New Yorkers to join us in knocking doors to increase participation in the upcoming Rent Guidelines Board hearings. We know how profoundly the cost of housing impacts New Yorkers and we want to make sure that their voices are heard in this process.
SIGN UP TO KNOCK DOORS WITH US
Watch our April Commissioners' Meeting!
Missed last month's Commissioners' Meeting? You can watch it on our YouTube channel!
During the April 30 meeting, Commissioners passed a resolution expanding our Voter Language Assistance Program from 12 to 14 languages, adding Albanian and Greek to better serve New York City communities.
Commissioners also heard updates on "The People's Money: Designed by Community" pilot from guest presenters from the Service Design Studio and Cambio Labs, who introduced the program's six selected fellows and shared progress on developing implementation plans for the Youth Entrepreneurship Program.
The meeting also marked the welcome of DeNora Getachew as the newest Commissioner of the CEC. DeNora serves as Chief Executive Officer of DoSomething, a national nonprofit focused on youth civic engagement and social change.
Watch the recording: "Fixing Our Democracies" discussion at Columbia
Last month, we partnered with Columbia World Projects and others to host "Fixing Our Democracies," a conversation exploring the growing role of citizens' assemblies and other deliberative democratic processes in strengthening civic participation and public trust.
The discussion featured Peter MacLeod, founder and principal of MASS LBP, and Hélène Landemore, a Professor of Political Science at Yale University. They examined how these models are being implemented around the world — and what it could look like to use them more widely in New York City and beyond.
Missed the event or want to revisit the conversation? The full recording is now available on Columbia Global's YouTube channel!
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