Would more NYers vote if the mayoral election was this year?

Plus: It's hot! [View this email in a browser.]( Gothamist relies on your support to make local news available to all. Not yet a member? [Consider donating and join today.]( [What if NYC’s mayoral election was this year? Experts say more people would vote in it.]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ☀️ Sunny early, with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms and highs in the mid 80s. The heat won't last, though — a cold front is expected to [push us back into the 60s by midweek](. It's Monday in New York City, where only 12.8% of eligible voters cast ballots in last year's general election, when all 51 City Council seats were on the ballot. Contrast that with the 2020 presidential election, when nearly 62% of eligible New Yorkers voted. Now, lawmakers in Albany want to change the state constitution to allow municipal elections to happen in even years like state and federal contests, [with the hope of boosting turnout](. Here's what else is happening: - The NYPD said it's increasing patrols of Central Park after [a string of robberies]( over the past four days. - As a way to incentivize mass transit use once congestion pricing tolls go into effect, the MTA plans to offer [fare discounts on Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North trips]( that start and end within the five boroughs. - One year after homeless New Yorker Jordan Neely was choked to death on the subway by a fellow rider, advocates are pushing a state bill to [make targeting homeless people a hate crime](. - Buried in the new state budget is one sentence with major implications for the future of MTA fare enforcement: [a ban on the use of facial recognition technology](. - The New York City Council is considering a package of bills aimed at helping fire survivors in the days and months after a blaze as the city grapples with its [highest number of fire fatalities in decades](. - A magnitude 2.9 earthquake [shook New Jersey]( on Saturday morning. - "Generally, the feeling on the bus was like, I hope this guy knows how to drive the bus. And that was the feeling among the people who were in cuffs. And also the cops were kind of joking around with each other, like, oh, I hope we make it": Witnesses said the cop who drove an MTA bus full of pro-Palestinian protesters from Brooklyn to One Police Plaza last Tuesday had [a challenging experience](. - The New York Times has a good recap of how New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim circumvented party bosses to become [the front-runner in this year's Senate race](. - New York's new pilot program for [legalizing basement apartments]( applies to 15 community districts — only one of which is in Queens, the borough most of in need of legal basement units. - A Howard Beach dog has died after [a stray bullet]( possibly fired by a neighborhood 18-year-old, blew into the dog's house and hit her. - For $195 a ticket, you can take a luxury bus [from Hudson Yards to the Hamptons](. - NJ.com [ranked]( the Garden State's 16 remaining 24-hour diners. - Major League Baseball is fixing the uniforms so [the gray pants and gray jerseys actually match](. - Zoomers are throwing themselves [half-birthday parties](. - Bagels [are back](. - Have some time for a game? [Play]( our mini local news crossword. - Sign up for reminders when we publish new games [here](. [“If you look at the recent city elections, voter turnout has dropped essentially every cycle. If we want to stop the bleed this decade, we need to start working on this now.”]( - Ben Weinberg, director of public policy at Citizens Union, on the push to [MAKE CITY ELECTIONS LINE UP WITH STATE AND FEDERAL ELECTIONS]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [Are dogs happy? A new book looks at the Westminster Club Dog Show and canine emotions.]( Years ago, journalist and author Tommy Tomlinson was watching the show on TV and a question popped into his head: Are those dogs happy? [Debate heats up over how to dispose of Indian Point radioactive water]( A new lawsuit brought by the company overseeing the decommissioned nuclear power plant about 40 miles north of Manhattan shows it still has a plan to dump the waste into the Hudson River. [We Rely On Your Support]( [Menendez name was once a gift for NJ representative. Now, a primary challenger eyes the prize.]( An unusually competitive Democratic primary race for Congress is taking place in Hudson County, New Jersey as incumbent Rep. Rob Menendez, who easily won his seat two years ago, tries to distinguish himself from his embattled father, Sen. Bob Menendez. [NYC Councilmembers call for ferry connecting Staten Island with southern Brooklyn]( A ferry connection from the St. George terminal on Staten Island to the former 69th Street Ferry pier in Brooklyn would give commuters an alternative to bridge tolls and rush hour traffic, said Councilmembers Justin Brannan and Kamillah Hanks. [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.