The timing of elections greatly affects voter turnout. This year, NYC could vote to change it

"In addition to voting in the highly anticipated mayoral race this November, New Yorkers will make another consequential decision this election day. They'll also decide whether the city will begin holding elections only on even-numbered calendar years. While it may sound irrelevant, it's an important yay or nay. The measure, as written in Ballot Proposal 6, would mean that off-year primary and general elections would begin taking place in the same year as the presidential elections."

"Proponents of the proposal say that it will increase voter turnout, given it streamlines elections. In New York, historically, odd-year elections bring about extraordinarily low turnout, which seems to be getting worse. In the last mayoral election, which took place in an odd-year (2021), only 23 percent made it to the polls. Even this year, with a high-profile mayoral election and turnout trending upward, some predictions say that only between 30 to 40% of New Yorkers will vote."

Voters will decide whether New York City should hold local elections only in even-numbered years under Ballot Proposal 6. The change would shift off-year primary and general elections into presidential election years. The Court of Appeals recently upheld a law moving many town and county elections to even-numbered years, creating state-level momentum for the change. Proponents argue that consolidating elections will increase turnout, noting historically low participation in odd-year mayoral races (23% in 2021) and predictions of 30–40% turnout this year. Comparisons show large cities with even-year local elections have 50–75% mayoral turnout versus 10–38% in odd-year cities. Consolidation could also free officials to use off-years for other tasks and reduce costs.

Read at Fast Company