NYC Mayoral Election 2013 Candidates: There's One Real Choice

Impact

On Tuesday, September 10, 880,000 New Yorkers are estimated to show up at the polls in the 2013 primary -- a small portion of the 4,000,000 eligible voters. One Democratic mayoral candidate after another has fallen under the weight of attacks and past mistakes and the one most unscathed, Bill de Blasio, looks like he'll win the primary (or at least be the favorite in a runoff).

It's easy to see why these candidates are such a turn off. But even if you don't want to vote for any of them in the primary, there is another choice you can make.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you're not showing up to vote for Anthony Weiner, because of that time he lied about sending around pictures of his penis to Twitter followers.

And that you're probably pissed at Christine Quinn for the the time she vetoed voters and supported Michael Bloomberg in re-writing the laws in order to get a third term.

And that you're probably skeptical of John Liu, after that time he was embroiled in a fundraising scandal.

I'm going to assume that you're leaning towards voting for Bill de Blasio, but maybe like I, find something underwhelming about voting for someone who so closely toes a party line. De Blasio's proposed policies motivate the major, reliable Democratic voting blocs. They include raising taxes on those earning over $500,000 to pay for universal pre-K, putting an end to stop-and-frisk, and preventing private hospitals from closing, in Brooklyn particularly. (His campaign is like a Democratic candy machine.)

It's easy to feel like it's all politics as usual and none of the candidates are speaking directly to you. But, if you're not planning to vote because of that, the best way to convey that on election day is to actually show up and vote, even if (especially if) you don't vote for anyone. 

The wider the gap is between the number of people who turn up to vote, and the number of votes the candidates receive, the more this dissatisfaction registers.

This year's race has likely dampened turnout for the reasons many elections do: the candidates spend most of their time attacking each other, in an attempt to distinguish themselves, and make big promises on policies that are targeted to certain groups. So if that pisses you off, and de Blasio's promises aren't going to cut it, then just take an hour to let 'em know what you think.

If even a small percentage of the 3,000,000 people who are eligible to vote, but are unlikely to do so on Tuesday, show up and have their pen hovering over a candidate's name but hit submit without choosing any of them, that's saying something.

Here's where to vote.