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NYC Government

Get to know your government. Democracy only works if we participate. If you have a problem, reach out. Don’t be afraid. New York government works for us and doesn’t care about immigration status. Their job is to represent you. Make them work.

nyc.gov is New York City’s government portal.

In New York City, you can dial 311 for customer service. 311 can point you to the NYC department that can help you. Leave 911 for real emergencies.

2020 is a historic moment with the COVID-19 health crisis, economic crisis, Black Lives Matter reckoning, and a Federal Government that is collapsing on itself. These important challenges are not going away soon. We need good government to make the best of it.

One of the best ways to improve government is to run for office yourself. You can learn the game from people who already hold public office. Many people start their political careers on school boards.

NYC Elections

U.S. elections are a real circus. They are our Carnival. In the same way that little work gets done during Carnival season and government doesn’t get much done during election years.

Before general elections, we have primary elections to choose who will represent the political parties in the general election. Many voters ignore the primaries, but that’s a mistake. Primary elections often decide who will win because politicians have drawn district boundaries to make them loyal to one party or the other. So whoever wins the primary wins the general election.

We have presidential elections every four years, congressional elections every two years, and state and local elections in the years in between. Some voters skip state and local elections, but that’s also a mistake. Good government starts at the local level.

New York City Council

These are some of the Latin members of the New York City Council.

New York City Council Districts

NYC Borough Presidents

New York City is made up of five boroughs (counties). Each borough has its own government.

U.S. Senators

U.S. Representatives

Nydia Velázquez

U.S. Representative NY District 7. First Latina on the New York City Council and first Puerto Rican woman in U.S. Congress.
MANHATTAN
Lower East Side, East Village
BROOKLYN
Brooklyn Heights, Bushwick, Carroll Gardens, Greenpoint, Red Hook, Williamsburg
QUEENS
Maspeth, Ridgewood, Woodside

Continue Reading Nydia Velázquez

5th Congressional District

Gregory Meeks, Democrat

6th Congressional District

Grace Meng, Democrat

7th Congressional District

Nydia Velazquez, Democrat (Puerto Rico born)

8th Congressional District

Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat

9th Congressional District

Yvette Clarke, Democrat

10th Congressional District

Jerrold Nadler, Democrat

11th Congressional District

Daniel Donovan, Republican

12th Congressional District

Carolyn Maloney, Democrat

13th Congressional District

Adriano Espaillat, Democrat (Dominican-born)

14th Congressional District

Joseph Crowley, Democrat

15th Congressional District

Jose Serrano, Democrat

16th Congressional District

Eliot Engel, Democrat

Thank you!

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America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath – America will be!”

Langston Hughes, Let America Be American Again, 1936
Register to Vote (vote.org)

Black Lives Matter
America will be!

PS: This is a learning project. Not everything we have written is correct, but with your help, we get better every year. Also we use the pronoun "we" no matter who we are writing about. Creating a "them" is the first step in dehumanization leading to theft, rape and murder. In our world, there is no "them," there is only "us." Thank you for joining us.