New York City ranks second-to-last in big-city voter turnout
We're number 49!
New York City tops the list of big cities in the United States by population but ranks second-to-last for its voter turnout rate in the most recent presidential election — beating only El Paso, Texas.
A new report out of the University of California San Diego compared presidential and mayoral election turnout in the 50 biggest cities in the country. At 54%, New York City's bottom-of-the-barrel turnout for the 2024 presidential election was still more than double its voter turnout rate in the 2021 mayoral contest. Only 23% of eligible New Yorkers cast their votes for mayor three years ago.
On average, big city voter turnout declines 30% between presidential and mayoral elections. Local participation is significantly higher in cities where local elections are aligned with presidential elections.
