A Turning Page for New York City
June is an exciting month for older New Yorkers. Centers like KCS Flushing Neighborhood Senior Center
in Queens have begun resuming activities like grab-and-go meals and can fully reopen this week. The City
is also holding primary elections this month, in which the new ranked-choice voting system will be used.
This summer will be a special one for New
Yorkers. The City is having one of the most
important elections in recent history that will use
a new voting system, and next month the City is
scheduled to fully reopen. After more than a year
of being separated from family and friends, and not
being able to do the things we love such as going
to restaurants, craft fairs, and movies, the City’s
reopening – and most importantly for us older
adults, the reopening of senior centers – feels like
a revival.
On June 1st, we received exciting news when the
Mayor announced that senior centers could resume
outdoor activities immediately and be able to fully
reopen on June 14th. Of course, safety precautions
like social distancing and face coverings will be in
place to protect participants and staff. We know
older adults have been waiting for this news and
they cannot wait to see their friends, participate
in workshops, and enjoy the food that the centers
provide. Getting vaccinated is an important part in
this reopening process.
Some senior centers have been able to reopen
this week, while others continue the preparations
needed to welcome back older New Yorkers. Senior
centers have always served as community hubs
and as a lifeline for older New Yorkers who need
services and information on resources available in
the City. These services have been provided over
the phone and virtually in the last year, but nothing
beats seeing someone in person. We are so happy
to welcome you all back!
Equally important news for older New Yorkers
is this year’s election, which will use ranked-choice
voting to elect our local officials. It is a new and
different form of voting, in which you can vote
for your favorite candidate and rank four other
candidates in order of preference.
Older adults are historically the most reliable
voters and make up about 20.6% of New York City’s
population. We older adults take voting seriously
because we know that elected officials shape the
future of our communities, where we worked,
and raised our families, and we want to continue
to make a difference. Most importantly, voting is
not only a privilege, but it is also a right and our
civic duty.
With the adoption of the new voting system, it
is crucial that older adults are equipped with the
education and knowledge they need to cast a wellinformed
ballot. Last month, the Mayor partnered
with DemocracyNYC and committed funds to
launch a large-scale voter education campaign.
The campaign includes advertising and PSAs,
investments in language access and accessibility,
and more.
The Department for the Aging has been working
to help older adults become familiarized with the
new system. Last month, we partnered with the
NALEO Education Fund in a virtual training for
older adults to learn about the voting process. We
also joined NALEO and several non-profit Latino
organizations to kick-off Ranked-Choice Voting
Latino Week of Action and encourage the Latino
community to vote.
Again, the ranked-choice voting system allows
voters to rank up to five candidates. You select your
number one candidate and four others in order of
preference, giving you more choices and say in who
gets elected. Even if a voter’s first-choice candidate
does not win, their ranked-choice ballot is still
able to affect the outcome as their vote will go to
the next highest ranked candidate on the ballot.
Interesting, isn’t it!
For those who want to get a taste of the new
voting experience, they can practice with an
interactive ballot on DemocracyNYC’s website,
which mimics the NYC ballot and offers a fun
experience for users to practice voting. Best of
all, the interactive practice ballot is available in
15 languages. One of my preferred voting topics is
choosing my favorite NYC Landmarks and I’m not
surprised to see Central Park leading.
With the elections approaching in less than a
week, my last tip to voters is to visit the ElectNYC
website, which provides an overview on the races
and candidates in your district or you can simply
watch a short video to refresh yourself on rankedchoice
voting. Remember, every vote and every
voter matters. You have the power to decide for the
future of New York City.
Lastly, I also want to continue encouraging New
Yorkers to get
vaccinated. The
more people who
get vaccinated,
the sooner we
can get back to
a true sense of
normalcy. Have
a wonderful,
fun-filled, safe
NYC Department for the Aging
summer.
Commissioner Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
NYC, A New Way To Vote This June!
Rank up to five
candidates, instead
of voting for just one!
Learn more: voting.nyc
Vote Early:
June 12 - 20
Primary Election Day:
June 22
Vote
in the June
Primary
Election!
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