ThoughtGallery.org > Fixing Elections: The Politics of Electoral Reform in NYC, Then and Now

Fixing Elections: The Politics of Electoral Reform in NYC, Then and Now

Voter turnout was the lowest ever recorded in New York City in 2013. Now, after many years of litigation and civic pressure, there is a major effort underway to reverse the trend, and overhaul the electoral system, with legislative support from city and state officials. Some are even pushing for ranked-choice voting, to increase not only turnout but representation and choice. This panel asks how we got here, and how we might improve our local democracy.

Gerald Benjamin, distinguished expert in constitutional and charter reform and former Director of the Center for New York State and Local Government Studies, provides a history of the city’s electoral administration. Daniel O. Prosterman talks about NYC’s forgotten experiment with proportional representation (the most common form of representation in modern democracies), and its effects on diversity and choice. Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York, discusses the steep decline of voter turnout in New York City in recent decades, and the major push underway to overhaul the electoral system this year. Rob Richie, Executive Director of FairVote, reflects on ways to increase participation by moving beyond the winner-take-all model, including the push to introduce ranked-choice voting in New York. Brigid Bergin, City Hall Reporter for WNYC, moderates.

​​No RSVP required.











When: Wed., Apr. 5, 2017 at 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Where: Graduate Center, CUNY
365 Fifth Ave.
212-817-7000
Price: Free
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Voter turnout was the lowest ever recorded in New York City in 2013. Now, after many years of litigation and civic pressure, there is a major effort underway to reverse the trend, and overhaul the electoral system, with legislative support from city and state officials. Some are even pushing for ranked-choice voting, to increase not only turnout but representation and choice. This panel asks how we got here, and how we might improve our local democracy.

Gerald Benjamin, distinguished expert in constitutional and charter reform and former Director of the Center for New York State and Local Government Studies, provides a history of the city’s electoral administration. Daniel O. Prosterman talks about NYC’s forgotten experiment with proportional representation (the most common form of representation in modern democracies), and its effects on diversity and choice. Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York, discusses the steep decline of voter turnout in New York City in recent decades, and the major push underway to overhaul the electoral system this year. Rob Richie, Executive Director of FairVote, reflects on ways to increase participation by moving beyond the winner-take-all model, including the push to introduce ranked-choice voting in New York. Brigid Bergin, City Hall Reporter for WNYC, moderates.

​​No RSVP required.

Buy tickets/get more info now