Monday, October 23, 2017

New York City's Large Party of Third Parties


By Laura Nahmias

A candidate running for mayor on a ballot line called “Dump the Mayor” may seem odd to the casual observer of New York City politics.

But the designation — an invention of independent candidate Bo Dietl — is part of a long and often weird tradition in city electoral politics where ballot lines can be as varied and idiosyncratic as the people whose names appear on them.

This year, city voters will have an overwhelming menu of 22 different ballot lines from which to choose. They range from Dietl’s “Dump the Mayor,” to a party line called “Solutions.” There’s an “Animal Rights” party line and a “No Rezoning 4 Ever” line.

This year’s crop of party designations does not even comprise the largest group of ballot lines the city has ever put forth in a single election, either. In the 2013 general election, there were no fewer than 29 different party designations represented on New York City ballots, including the “Flourish” line, “Dump the Dump” and the “Civic Virtue” line, which is the name of both a concept and a controversial statue that once stood in front of City Hall.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: Politico (via The Empire Report) 

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