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Petitioning season puts pressure on would-be mayoral candidates
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Feb 27, 2025
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Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Feb 27, 2025
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This column originally appeared in The Politics Brief, our new weekly newsletter on the people, power and policies that shape New Yorkers' lives .
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The unofficial opening shot of New York City’s 2025 election went off on Tuesday, issuing a reminder for candidates considering a run – but who haven’t announced yet – that it’s time for action.
Legions of clipboard-carrying candidates and their volunteers have descended on street corners, subway stops and grocery store entrances, armed with ballot petitions that need signatures like yours. You might have seen them already.
Candidates who have run for office before know that petition season is not to be taken lightly. The easiest way to defeat a campaign rival is to prevent their name from appearing on the ballot. The signature-gathering also represents the first real test for citywide candidates to see if they have the money and organizational support to qualify.
“If you don't get enough signatures -- good signatures -- to get on the ballot, then you don't have a campaign at all,” election attorney Sarah Steiner said. “You're done. You might as well just go home.”
A “good signature” is from a registered voter in the party holding the primary. For a citywide race, the person can live anywhere in the city. For boroughwide or City Council races, the person needs to be a registered voter who lives in that specific district.
How many does a candidate need? Like everything in New York City politics, it’s complicated.
The City Charter says Council candidates need 450 signatures, but state law says 900. The Charter says citywide candidates need 3,750 signatures; it’s 7,500 in state law. For borough president, the Charter says 2,000 signatures are required; state law says 4,000.
“ There's never been a court decision that decided which of these is the correct number,” Steiner said. Still, she encourages candidates to go for the higher number since they could get knocked off the ballot, or risk a court challenge, if they collect too few signatures.
Completed petitions must be filed between March 31 and April 3. That’s when the challenge process begins. If a candidate’s petition gets challenged, there’s a hearing where the 10 commissioners of the New York City Board of Elections decide who makes the cut.
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This week we're wondering: Have you been asked to sign a candidate’s petition? Let us know here. We'll share responses in next week's newsletter. (Sign up!)
This week in New York politics
- We exposed an attempt to disbar former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. It would be a serious blow to a former attorney general (and future mayoral candidate?).
- Speaking of comebacks, former Rep. Anthony Weiner is running for New York City Council, and his campaign got a boost from a Brooklyn elections boss. Does the endorsement cross an ethical line?
- And another member of the Exonerated Central Park 5 is running for New York City Council. See who.
- But Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado will not run for re-election next year alongside Hochul. Who will be the governor’s running mate now?
- Another headache for Hochul – 9 out of 10 New York state prison guards have participated in an unauthorized strike. People inside the prisons say the conditions are getting worse – and the state is even considering out-of-state transfers.
- Adams says prosecutors violated his rights and various court rules. Does that mean a judge will drop his case for good?
- Moldy meals, insufficient food and a lack of requested halal accommodations were some of the complaints the City Council discussed during a hearing on the food served up at city shelters. Here’s why it’s so bad.
- The Trump administration went after congestion pricing tolls last week, and this New Jersey congressmember thinks drivers deserve a refund. Should they get one?
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Brigid Bergin
Brigid Bergin is an award-winning senior reporter on the People and Power desk. She is fiercely committed to telling stories that help people engage and support democracy. In 2022, she hosted a live, ten-week call-in politics show ahead of the midterm elections called The People's Guide to Power. Brigid's reporting in 2017 included some of the first coverage of a political newcomer now known as AOC. In 2016, she broke the news of a voter purge in Brooklyn just days before New York’s presidential primary, triggering city, state and federal investigations. Brigid also guest hosts The Brian Lehrer Show and All Of It. She graduated from the University at Albany and the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-723-4719.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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