Friday Is the Deadline to Register to Vote In NYC Elections

NEW YORK

Friday is the last day to register by mail to vote in next month’s New York elections, in which issues such as police tactics, tuition and bris milah are being thrashed about by mayoral, city council and other candidates.

“If your voice won’t be heard, we all suffer,” observed Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Agudath Israel’s executive vice president.

The upcoming election is being especially closely watched for signs of how the Jewish community, which makes up as much as a fifth of likely voters, will vote in the first post-Giuliani/Bloomberg era following a disappointing primary turnout.

Candidates running for office look at one thing when canvassing for votes: math.

Communities that vote reliably are given a bigger ear than low-attendance neighborhoods.

And there is nothing more interesting for a candidate than the block by block map prepared by the board of elections, detailing how many people voted on 46th street between 14th and 15 Avenue or Avenue P between East 16th and 17th.

A 16-vote majority for Democrat Bill Thompson over John Liu in the primary is studied for clues on how they will vote in the general election.

Conversely, when only six voters show up from a certain block — a widespread occurrence in last month’s primary — the community representing that block loses its sheen among candidates.


 

Those eligible can register in person at the board of elections or at any NY State registration center no later than Oct. 11.

They can call the BOE hotline (1-800-FOR-VOTE) to request a voter application or download a PDF at http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/download/voting/voteform.pdf.

To be eligible to vote in the Nov. 5 election, applications must be postmarked no later than Oct. 11 and received by Oct. 16.

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