District Manager’s Notes

Turnout Time

Primary election day in CB6, with Congress, State Comptroller, and the State Legislature on the ballot and nine of ten eligible voters yet to cast a ballot.

Today, Tuesday, June 23, is primary election day. Congress, State Comptroller, and the State Legislature are on the ballot, and polls are open until 9 PM. I don’t believe there’s been any direct research on this, but if you receive and read community board newsletters, you probably know that. It’s also comparably probable that you haven’t voted.

I say that not as a judgment but as a reality: with 7,749 votes cast in CB6 during early voting, 9 out of 10 eligible CB6 primary voters have not yet voted. This represents 47% of last year’s CB6 early vote total. A drop-off like that isn’t unusual, but unlike the earth’s orbit, we can actually change it.

In fact, the most comparable recent election is the 2022 primary, when all of CB6 was within a competitive congressional district during the first year of a new mayoral administration. Turnout in that year’s primary was 26.2%, or 18,659 votes, across CB6. I’m confident that number will be higher once the polls close tonight, so if you want to be part of outvoting a prior year’s turnout and help make my prediction correct, but need a quick who, what, and where before heading to the polls, go to bkcb6.app/poll-finder-bk.

Some may read all of that and shrug. I don’t blame you; democracy for democracy’s sake can sound broadly appealing, but not necessarily motivating. In the simplest terms, not voting gives someone you disagree with a larger share of influence than they earned. That’s admittedly a bit negative or “hater” framework for civic participation, but it doesn’t make it wrong.

Think of a person, real or imagined, whose views are the opposite of your own. By not voting, you’re effectively giving them a little more say by making their one vote a greater percentage of the votes cast. I’ll use myself as an example. I vote in this district and already have. Those who read my writing or have spoken with me have a sense of my views and CB6’s positions. I know some people strongly disagree with those positions, and that’s perfectly fine. I’d encourage you to use that as motivation, if only to prevent my vote from representing a bigger piece of the electoral pie than it should. You’ve got until 9 PM to do so.

In addition to voting, I’d suggest one other thing: read the rest of this email. No matter what you do, or don’t do, I wish you well.

This is the web archive of a newsletter originally sent by email to Brooklyn Community Board 6 subscribers on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. The email edition may contain additional event listings and links.