How are you Represented in NYC?
Any Democrat in Manhattan is represented in several overlapping ways. From public officials like State Senators to part-time volunteer Democratic District Leaders, representatives come to their positions through different means to fulfill a wide range of often overlapping duties. The two most important classifications of a position are whether they represent the public public or party, and the geography they represent.
A party official represents and is elected or appointed by the members of their party from the geography they represent. This differs from public officials, who represent all of their constituency regardless of party membership or voter registration.
U.S. Senate
How many represent Manhattan? 2 senators out of 100 total.
Terms? 6 year terms, no term limit
How they get there: Elected in both primaries and general elections. They are usually aligned with a political party.
House of Representatives
How many represent Manhattan? 4 Representatives out of 435 total.
Terms? 2 year terms, no term limit
How they get there: Elected in both primaries and general elections. They are usually aligned with a political party.
The above two legislative bodies make up the U.S. Federal branch of government. The legislative branch focuses on crafting bills and voting them into law.
State Senate
How many represent Manhattan? 6 senators out of 63 total.
Terms? 2 year terms, no term limit
How they get there: Elected in both primaries and general elections.
State Assembly
How many represent Manhattan? 12 Assemblypeople out of 150 total.
Terms? 2 year terms, no term limit
How they get there: Elected in both primaries and general elections.
The above two legislative bodies make up New York’s legislative branch of government. Both work similarly to the U.S. State Senate and House of Representatives, respectively.
The State Committee
As a Democrat in New York State, you are represented in the State Democratic Party by the State Committee.
- Each Assembly District is allowed two votes on the State Committee, but may be comprised of more than two actual Committee Members in the case that the AD spans more than one county.
- In this case, each Committee Member has an equal part of the two votes.
- The State Committee’s leadership run the day-to-day business of the party. State Committee Members are elected through the Democratic Primaries.
City Council
How many represent Manhattan? 10 council members out of 51, all of which represent the five boroughs of NYC.
Terms? 4 year terms, two-term limit. They may run again after a four-year break. Council members elected before 2010 can run for a third term, since the 2009 City Council attempted to extend their term limit to three terms.
When are they elected? They’re elected every four years, except for Census years, to allow for redistricting. During the Census, they receive two consecutive two-year terms.
What they do: The City Council serves as New York City’s legislative branch. They can vote bills into law, override the Mayor’s veto powers, and form committees that oversee various parts of New York City’s city government. They are also heavily involved in zoning use and land-use issues, and holds the sole responsibility of voting on the Mayor’s budget.
Important Roles:
Speaker of the Council – leads the City Council, and is elected by council members
Majority Leader – leader of the political party that holds the majority in the City Council
Minority Leader – leader of the political party that hods the minority in the City Council
How Many Represent Manhattan? One for each Borough – Manhattan has one.
Terms? 4 years, with a maximum of 8 years.
How they get there: Popular vote in general elections
What they do:
Borough Presidents represent and advocate for their borough to the city government by heading their respective borough boards, advising on various local issues including land use and budget prioritization. Borough Presidents also help elect Community Board members annually.
Manhattan Borough President’s website
About Manhattan’s Borough President
How Many Represent Manhattan? 12 out of 59 NYC Community Boards (CBs) represent Manhattan’s neighborhoods.
Terms? Annual application, with a 10 year term limit
How Board Members get there: Members are officially appointed by the Manhattan Borough President. Half of the members of these boards are selected unilaterally by the Borough President, and half with the nomination of the City Council Members who represent the district.
What they do:
Community Boards pass judgement on local issues including land use, budgeting, and services provided to the community. Although technically only advisory, Community Board recommendations hold major sway over eventual approvals at the city level.
Who runs them? Community Boards are run by board members. Board seats are non-partisan and may be held by any person who lives or works in the area covered by the board. Applications are held annually for open seats, and are appointed by Borough President and City Council Members whose districts are in the community.
An unofficial extension of the County Party, NYC’s local clubs often represent a neighborhood or set of neighborhoods, and work for the interests of the Democrats and residents that live in their area. Each local club holds their own elections and have their own meetings and bylaws. Leadership is often made up of District Leaders, and works to recruit and run campaigns for County Committee seats.
To determine your local democratic club, find your district leader, and see what club they work with.
The Manhattan Democratic Club is the official arm of the Democratic Party in Manhattan. It works to represent and fight for the needs of Democrats in its county. Its leadership is elected by a committee composed of the District Leaders.
How Many Represent Manhattan? Varies – many seats also remain vacant.
Terms? Two Years, no term limits
How they get there: Elected during the primary, and must get 20-40 signatures to appear on the ballot.
What they do:
County Committee members are responsible for local organization of the party: petitioning for signatures, registering residents to vote, and making sure that they vote Democrat.
In the case of a mid-term vacancy of a public office, when there is insufficient time before the election for a special primary, County Committee will also vote for the person to represent the party on the ballot. It is important to remember that in Manhattan, this is often tantamount to a lifetime appointment.
County Committee members represent an Election District (ED), the smallest political geographic unit in Manhattan. Each ED has 2 or 3 County Committee members depending on its size, each of whom get one vote. Any registered Democrat may run for County Committee in any ED and AD where they live.
Many County Committee seats in Manhattan remain vacant. MYD’s Open Seat Project aims to connect Young Democrats with their local Democratic Clubs in order to help fill these seats.
How Many Represent Manhattan? There are 70 District Leaders (DLs). Two leaders (one male and one female) represent one part of an Assembly District (AD). ADs can have 1-4 parts, so up to 8 DLs can exist for one AD.
Terms? 2 years
How DLs get there: Elected in Primary Elections
What do they do:
A District Leader is an unpaid volunteer elected official. All formal parties in New York State are required to have at least one District Leader (DL) per Assembly District (AD)…In essence, the District Leader is the representative of the party members in their district to that political party’s apparatus
-DL Paul Newell, from gomyd.com’s “What Makes a District Leader?”
District Leaders (DL) represent small portions of Assembly Districts and Election Districts – you need both to determine which DL represents you!
The relatively small size of an AD Part, and the fact that each has multiple District Leaders, ensures that local interests of party members are well represented by District Leaders to the County Party.