Murals across Brooklyn and Manhattan encourage New Yorkers to vote in April primary

NYC Votes, an initiative of the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB), has installed six murals across Brooklyn and Manhattan to encourage New Yorkers to get out and vote in the upcoming April presidential primary election.

The murals, which feature bright and playful designs with bodega cats and pizza rats as well as a VOTE graphic in American Sign Language, are part of a citywide voter engagement campaign by the CFB — an independent city agency working to boost voter participation and ensure fairness, openness and inclusivity in local elections.

The effort to push New Yorkers to vote comes as thousands of voters in states like Michigan and Minnesota cast “uncommitted” votes in their states’ respective primaries in protest of the war in Gaza and the US’s involvement — particularly in response to President Joe Biden’s continued authorization of aid and arms to Israel.

The NYC votes campaign also acknowledges that this November’s presidential election will most likely see another square off between Biden and former president Donald Trump, which also could dissuade voters from participating.

“No matter who or what is on the ballot, voting is a chance for New Yorkers to send a message to candidates and political parties about what matters to them. When more of us participate, we get closer to a true representative democracy,” CFB Executive Director Paul S. Ryan said in a statement. “The new NYC Votes murals, positioned in high-traffic areas frequented by New Yorkers on the go, implore voters to consider what matters most to them in their daily lives ahead of April primaries – their families, representation, and change in their community.”

The NYC Votes mural at Kent Avenue and South Third Street in Williamsburg.Photo courtesy of NYC Votes

The November 2020 presidential election saw a total of 3,047,263 New York City voters participate — even with the COVID-19 pandemic raging — with about 2.3 million people voting for Biden and over 691,000 voting for Trump. Voter turnout in the Big Apple that election was 61.9%, a 1.6% increase compared to the 2016 presidential election.

The April primary is to select a Republican and a Democratic candidate for president, so only those registered as such may vote. Those unsure about their registration status can check on the NYS Board of Elections website.

Voter registration is now open, and early voting will take place from March 23 through March 30. The last day to register in order to be able to vote in the April 2 presidential primary is March 23.

In Brooklyn, NYC Votes’ murals can be found at St. Nicholas Avenue and Jefferson Street and at Bogart Street and Thames Street in Bushwick, at Kent Avenue and South Third Street in Williamsburg and at Third Street and Third Avenue in Gowanus.

In Manhattan, the murals are located at Canal Street and Centre Street in Soho and 25th Street and Sixth Avenue in Chelsea.

To learn more about the murals, visit nycvotes.org. To register to vote, check out the NYS BOE online registration system.