We at Civic Juice are always looking for colorful ways to think about government, elections, civic participation, and voter choices. So we made handy little graphics that you’ll find throughout the site to help think about whether we have healthy competition in the NYC 2017 Elections!

One thing we’ve learned is that the more competition there is for an elected office, the more likely voters are to turn out at the polls. Sometimes it seems like voters don’t have much choice over who to vote for – especially when incumbents run and get lots of media attention, when they or other candidates run unopposed, or when money floods campaigns.

We want to encourage people to understand how much choice you actually DO have this year!

Our graphics show some key factors in analyzing competition in NYC 2017 elections for mayor, comptroller, public advocate, borough presidents, council members, district attorneys, and some judges:

• term limits
• whether the incumbent is running
• whether more than 1 candidate is running in the primary election (September 12)
• whether more than 1 candidate is running in the general election (November 7)

Check out this diagram explaining our graphics, and look below to get even more context about the NYCcompetition!

 Want to learn more about…

Why some officials can run for 2 terms and others for 3 terms? click here!

What people mean when they talk about the power of incumbency? click here!

What is the difference between the primary election and the general election? click here!