New York Mayor Eric Adams is gathering signatures to secure two new ballot lines for the city’s upcoming mayoral election.
Adams’ campaign is working to establish the “EndAntiSemitism” and “Safe&Affordable” ballot lines, requiring 3,750 signatures for each by the May 27 deadline. According to Politico, Adams initially planned to run on a “Safe Street, Affordable City” ballot line, echoing former Mayor David Dinkins’ “Safe Streets, Safe City” program. However, he apparently overlooked NYC Board of Elections rules limiting party names to exactly 15 characters.
Unlike most states, New York permits candidates to appear multiple times on the same ballot under different party affiliations. When votes are tallied, a candidate combines all votes received across their various ballot lines. Currently only fully implemented in New York and Connecticut, the system enables voters to back their preferred candidate without abandoning their political values.
Orthodox Jewish support helped Adams win his tight 2021 Democratic primary, and he’s maintained strong connections by consistently speaking out against antisemitism and supporting Israel during its defensive war against Hamas. His ballot strategy directly challenges Cuomo, who has called antisemitism “the most serious and most important issue in his campaign” while actively pursuing the same voter demographic.
Adams remains registered as a Democrat but opted out of the party primary after federal corruption charges against him were dismissed by President Trump’s Department of Justice. Should Cuomo win the Democratic primary as polls predict, Adams would need to outperform him in a general election in high-turnout areas including Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods across Brooklyn and Queens.
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