Manhattan (New York County)

Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, the West Village, Hudson Square, Flatiron, the Garment District and part of Times Square. The winner serves the rest of Erik Bottcher's term, through 2029. Unlike the special election and primary, this one isn't ranked-choice: pick one.

Ends the required public hearing for "revocable consents" to use sidewalks and streets, such as ramps, benches, planters and outdoor cafes, drops the newspaper ad requirement (notice stays in the City Record), and takes away the City Council's power to reject sidewalk cafe permits. The commission estimates approvals would take about two months instead of up to eight. Starts March 1, 2027. Reinvent Albany supports it; the Council raised concerns about less public input. NYC Votes summary; ballot text; Reinvent Albany.

Lets the Procurement Policy Board simplify the questionnaire city contractors fill out and requires the board to meet at least every three months. The mayor could delegate approval of some contracts over $5 million to agencies, an in-person hearing on the client services report would end, and written comment in place of hearings on larger contracts would become permanent. The city estimates contracting would take about 30 days less. NYC Votes summary; ballot text; THE CITY via Brownstoner.

Three changes in one question. The Transportation Department could start some street safety work, such as bike and bus lanes, before notifying officials and community boards, and technical errors couldn't stop a project. Small city lots and development rights could be sold through a shorter review without a final Council vote. And leases of city office space would no longer need Council and City Planning Commission hearings and approval. Reinvent Albany backs the street safety part but objects to bundling it with the land and lease changes; Open New York praised the faster sale of surplus lots. NYC Votes summary; ballot text; Reinvent Albany.

Requires the Buildings Department to build one system, by 2030, for about 40 construction permits now issued by 18 agencies, lets more Buildings officials approve plans, and moves waterfront construction permits from Small Business Services to Buildings. Other agencies keep their review and enforcement powers. Reinvent Albany and Open New York support it. NYC Votes summary; ballot text; amNY.

Sets a goal of keeping city reserves equal to at least 12% of the previous year's tax revenue. When reserves fall short, the budget office must publish a plan to make deposits, though each deposit still needs approval in the budget. It also makes permanent a rule limiting withdrawals to half the fund in a year unless the mayor certifies a compelling reason. Comptroller Mark Levine called it a "significant step" but wanted a 16% target; the Citizens Budget Commission says 12% is too low and the withdrawal rules too loose. NYC Votes summary; ballot text; Comptroller's statement; Citizens Budget Commission.

Six seats, elected by all of Manhattan. In New York the Supreme Court is the main trial court, not the top court. Democrats nominated three sitting justices and three Civil Court judges at their August convention; the Working Families Party put up five lawyers of its own, and we found no reporting on why. We'd vote for the six Democratic nominees, who all passed the Manhattan Democrats' independent screening panel and have years on the bench. The Working Families candidates have strong public-interest careers but no judicial experience and no visible campaigns.

Surrogate's Court (wills and estates): Rita Mella, the sitting surrogate since 2014. Civil Court, countywide (three seats): Josh E. Hanshaft and Emily Morales-Minerva, both sitting judges, and Vlad Frants, a city administrative judge. Civil Court district seats, which appear only on some Manhattan ballots: 1st District, Eric Flores; 3rd District (Chelsea, Hudson Yards, Times Square), Steven Benathen; 4th District, Faith Bondy; 7th District (four seats, four candidates), Keshia Espinal, Matthew Levy and Karen Cortes-Tower on the Democratic line and sitting judge Aija Tingling on the Fair Courts line; 9th District (parts of Midtown East, the Upper East Side and Flatiron, two seats), Jennifer Frankola-Crawford and Brian J. Krist. Board of Elections contest list; screening panel results. We haven't profiled these judges.

Governor and lieutenant governor run as a ticket. Gov. Kathy Hochul is running for a second full term with former City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams; Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado dropped out of the Democratic primary in February. In New York you can vote for a candidate on any party line they appear on, and it counts the same.

The comptroller audits state agencies and runs the state pension fund. Tom DiNapoli won the first primary of his career in June with 65%.

Letitia James is running for a third term.

Lower Manhattan below about 14th Street on the West Side and the East Village, Lower East Side, Chelsea, Flatiron and the Financial District, plus brownstone Brooklyn. Former city comptroller Brad Lander beat Rep. Dan Goldman in the June 23 primary, 66% to 34%.

Manhattan from about 14th Street to 110th Street: Midtown, the Upper West Side and the Upper East Side. Open seat: Rep. Jerry Nadler is retiring after 34 years. Assembly member Micah Lasher won the June primary with 39%, ahead of Alex Bores (35%) and Jack Schlossberg (11%). Karen Ortiz and Wilneida Negron are running to Lasher's left on small independent lines; we pick Lasher, who has a record in office and is the only one with a real chance against Shinkle.

Upper Manhattan (Harlem, East Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and parts of Morningside Heights) and the west Bronx. Organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier beat Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the June primary, about 49% to 45%, so no incumbent is on the ballot.

Lower Manhattan: the Financial District, Battery Park City, Tribeca, Chinatown, SoHo and parts of the Lower East Side and the Villages. Open seat: Brian Kavanagh isn't running again. Grace Lee beat former Assembly member Yuh-Line Niou in the June primary, about 62% to 37%.

Much of the Upper East Side and East Midtown, with parts of Murray Hill and Gramercy.

The West Side: most of the Upper West Side, Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea and parts of Greenwich Village and the West Village. Erik Bottcher won the February special election for the seat with 92%, after Brad Hoylman-Sigal became borough president.

Mostly Brooklyn's western waterfront. In Manhattan it takes in only the harbor islands, where almost no one lives.

District 29 (José M. Serrano, Democrat: East Harlem, Yorkville, Roosevelt and Randalls islands and the South Bronx); District 30 (Cordell Cleare, Democrat: Harlem and parts of Morningside, Hamilton and Washington Heights); District 31 (Robert Jackson, Democrat: Washington Heights and Inwood, then down the Hudson through the Upper West Side, Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea); District 59 (Kristen Gonzalez, Democrat: Stuyvesant Town plus parts of Queens and Brooklyn). All four are incumbents on the Democratic and Working Families lines.

The Lower East Side, Chinatown, Little Italy, SoHo, NoHo and part of the Financial District. Open seat: Grace Lee is running for state Senate. Illapa Sairitupac won a six-way June primary with 37%.

Parts of the East Village, Lower East Side, Stuyvesant Town, Gramercy, Kips Bay, Murray Hill and Midtown East. Keith Powers won the February special election for the seat with 82%, after Harvey Epstein moved to the City Council.

Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, part of Midtown including Billionaires' Row, and a slice of the Upper West Side.

Parts of the Upper East Side, Yorkville and Roosevelt Island. A rematch of 2020, when Puliafito got 42% after a filing error kept Seawright off the Democratic line.

Mostly Staten Island's North Shore. The Manhattan part is the southern tip of the Financial District and Battery Park City, plus the harbor islands.

District 66 (David Siffert, Democrat: Greenwich Village, Tribeca, SoHo, NoHo; open seat, he beat Jeannine Kiely by 15 votes after recounts); District 67 (Linda B. Rosenthal, Democrat: Upper West Side and Lincoln Center); District 68 (Diana I. Ayala, Democrat: East Harlem; she beat Assembly member Eddie Gibbs in June); District 69 (Eli Northrup, Democrat: Manhattan Valley, Morningside Heights and part of the Upper West Side; open seat, a Bronx Defenders public defender); District 70 (Jordan J.G. Wright, Democrat: Harlem); District 71 (Al Taylor, Democrat: Hamilton Heights and Washington Heights); District 72 (Manny De Los Santos, Democrat: Washington Heights and Inwood); District 73 (Vanessa Aronson, Democrat: Upper East Side, Turtle Bay and Sutton Place; open seat, a former teacher and Foreign Service officer). City & State on District 66; on District 68.