Eric Michael Johnson for The New York Times If you register by tomorrow, you can vote next month.New York is often portrayed as the ultimate big-city Democratic bastion.
Yet when it comes to Gracie Mansion, we seem to have a wandering eye.
The city has not elected a Democratic mayor since 1989. That’s five straight elections (two for Rudolph W. Giuliani, three for Michael R. Bloomberg).
Political analysts suspect that the streak could be broken this year, in part because the city is becoming even more Democratic.
The number of Democrats has steadily increased â€" by 23 percent just since 1997, according to voter records. The Republican rolls have fallen â€" by 5 percent in that period.
Now, Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 6 to 1.
We bring this up because Friday is the last day for unregistered New Yorkers to register to vote and join a political party if they want to cast a ballot in the Sept. 10 primaries.
Several groups are holding last-minute registration drives.
In Brooklyn and Queens, the Masbia soup-kitchen network, which serves 600 people on Thursdays, is giving out a registration kit with every meal.
(If you’re already registered but not yet a member of a party or want to switch parties, you’re too late â€" that deadline was last October.)
You can register by mail (using this form), in person at a Board of Elections office, or online.
Here’s what you need to know for Thursday.
WEATHER
Another beautiful day, with a high of 79, lots of sun and a gentle breeze.
TRANSIT & TRAFFIC
- Mass Transit [6:00] O.K. so far. Click for latest M.T.A. status.
- Roads [6:00] O.K. so far. Click for traffic map or radio report on the 1s.
Alternate-side parking is suspended for the Feast of the Assumption.
COMING UP TODAY
- On the campaign trail: William C. Thompson Jr. will call for free lunch for every city student. Bill de Blasio will describe his plan to increase taxes on the wealthy to fund after-school programs.
- Joseph J. Lhota visits a bespoke clothier in Williamsburg. John C. Liu delivers his vision for the city in a speech at the Apollo Theater at 6 p.m.
- Candidates for public advocate debate at 6:30 p.m., live on NY1 and on WNYC radio.
- The mayor heads to Rockaway Beach, not to surf but to watch the start of sand-pumping operations.
- The funeral at Riverside Church for Bill Lynch, the political consultant behind the Democrats’ last mayoral victory (David N. Dinkins, 1989), will draw much of the city’s political class.
- The Ebony Hillbillies, who bill themselves as one of the last black string bands in the country, play at Alfred E. Smith Playground on the Lower East Side at 10:30 a.m. [Free]
- Free gelato and live music at Ciao Bella’s 30th anniversary party at the Old School on Mott Street in SoHo from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- The heart of rock & roll is still doing something: Huey Lewis and the News play at Coney Island. West 21st Street and Surf Avenue. 7:30 p.m. [Free]
- Also on the oldies tour: Jimmy Buffet’s performance on the “Today†show this morning can be seen at Rockefeller Plaza. (8 a.m. but get there early). [Free]
- Outdoor movies: “Romeo + Juliet†(the 1996 Baz Luhrmann version) in Tompkins Square Park (dusk).“North by Northwest†at Cunningham Park in Queens (8 p.m.). [Free]
Nicole Higgins DeSmet contributed reporting.
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