Hey Zohran, Jim, Eric, Curtis & Andrew: What Are You Doing to Ensure that NYC Youth Will Be Voting This Fall (and For the Rest of Their Lives)?
The numbers are sobering and should be unacceptable to anyone with power to turn them around
The following is an open letter and candidate questionnaire to candidates for Mayor of New York City. The aim is to focus attention on the opportunities the City’s next Mayor has to make NYC a center for civic engagement and participation for its youth. With the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence around the corner, now is the time.
Dear NYC Mayoral Candidates:
Almost 3 years ago (with plenty of time for officials to make a change before November 2024), The Civics Center published a report revealing dire facts about youth civic engagement in New York City.
New York, like 18 other states, allows young people to preregister to vote at least as early as age 16. As of 2023, however, not a single NYC borough had a pre-registration rate at or above 15%. In every borough except Staten Island, the rate was below 10%. Almost all upstate counties were doing a far better job at getting their young people preregistered. You can see for yourself the illustration from that report below:
Preregistering to vote means that young people are automatically registered and can begin voting as soon as they turn 18. The point is to create a reasonable on-ramp for the youngest voters to get signed up before the first election at which they will be old enough to vote.
As we reported in 2023: this law and opportunity to engage NYC’s youth was not being publicized or implemented in a way robust or comprehensive enough to break through and improve the situation.
To make matters worse for city youth, New York State’s online system required a driver’s license in order to register to vote. That limitation was insurmountable for most teens in NYC, where fewer than 40% of 18-year-olds obtain a driver’s license.1 As a result, the majority were unable to use the online system even though they were eligible to register.
After years of delay, the state finally updated its online voter registration system to allow eligible voters to register without the need for a driver’s license or state ID that so many do not have.
In September 2023, Governor Hochul signed S1733A, which mandates that all NY state school districts have policies that require high schools to help students register and preregister to vote. The obligation applies to charter schools and non-public schools, as well. While that sounds promising, current data show that legislation and policy alone will not magically fix problems without funding and an actual implementation plan.
Unfortunately preregistration rates have hardly moved since 2023:
It’s certainly positive news that the Bronx went from 2.9% to 6.2%; doubling is a good start. But as Mayoral candidates, each of you is seeking to take part in a free and fair election to lead the greatest city on earth. It will be your job to stand up for democracy and to champion the City’s youth. While you come from different backgrounds and perspectives, I hope that if there is one thing you can agree on it is that 6.2% is not enough to represent young people in the Bronx, or anywhere else.
Low preregistration rates are a harbinger of lack of civic infrastructure and engagement, and feed directly into low registration numbers for the youngest voters. This is especially true for young people who do not drive or go to college, who also happen to be among the most marginalized and low-income to begin with. If they graduate from high school without registering, it means they are not in the voter file, and they become much harder to find and engage for the sake of their own political futures.
As of June 2025 the registration rates for 18-year-olds in NYC are super-low, too, with not a single borough managing to register even half of its 18-year-old.
The gap in rates compared with voters ages 45 and above are stark:
If the City’s 18-year-olds were registered at the same rate as older voters in each of these boroughs, it would add 30,990 to the voter rolls. If they were fully registered, we’d see 63,367 new 18-year-old potential voters.
The ripple-up effect would increase the number of young people who can participate in the 2025 Mayoral election. Over time, the change would dramatically increase the ability of young people to have a voice in NYC and in determining their futures.
All of this brings me to my questions for each of you:
What is your campaign doing to help and encourage all young people to register and preregister to vote, as soon as they are old enough?
As NYC Mayor, what will you do to fight youth voter suppression?
Will you commit that if elected, you will make nonpartisan voter registration / preregistration part of every high school in NYC, and if so, how will you do that?
Please leave your answers in the comments section by August 19, 2025.
Thank you for your time and for considering this request.
Respectfully,
Laura W. Brill
Founder & CEO
The Civics Center
