BALLOT 101

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Our Assembly Districts are divided into smaller sections called Election or Electoral Districts, or for short "ED"s.

Each Electoral District can be represented by 2-4 County Committee members, if elected. If elected, these County Committee members will represent you in our County. We are in New York County (Manhattan Island plus the annexed Marble Hill neighborhood). If you do not elect County Committee members, you will not have a voice in how our party operates in our county.

Please be sure to vote for ALL our County Committee candidates on your ballot. You can find out which ED you live in by "checking your poll site" and scrolling down the page of results where you can also find your Assembly District number, City Council number, etc..

Each Assembly District can also be represented by Judicial Delegates & Alternate Judicial Delegates, if elected. If you do not elect Judicial Delegates you will not have a voice in which judges appear on the ballot.

The changes you hope for in our judicial system are not possible unless your district is represented by delegates who participate fully in the County's process to elect judges. The UCD candidates are active participants in our County's process. Please be sure to vote for ALL our Judicial & Alternate Judicial Delegate  candidates on your ballot.

It is important to remember to vote for ALL local candidates endorsed by:

Uptown Community Democrats, Nobles Crawford, Senator Robert Jackson & Community Leader Johanna Garcia.

These positions must be filled for Northern Manhattan to have a voice in electing judges & creating the change we want in the Democratic Party, our community and our neighborhood. The members of our club have worked hard to vet these local candidates, and inform who our State Senator & State Committee Members endorse.

If elected, these candidates will inform you of upcoming elections & answer questions you have about candidates, help you find poll sites, and assist with absentee ballot concerns. These candidates will also represent you in the Democratic County Committee (Manhattan Dems), and invite you into the judicial nominating process. The changes you want to see in the Democratic Party and in our court system can materialize if you voice these concerns and ideas with your representatives... if they are elected.

Local party positions are only on the ballot during the primary, in June.

LOCAL POSITIONS ON THE BALLOT:

(1) District Leader

(2) County Committee

(3) Judicial Delegate

(4) Alternate Judicial Delegate

We need to fill ALL the open positions to ensure Northern Manhattan has proper representation in our county. Please vote for the entire slate endorsed by UCD, State Committee Member Nobles Crawford, State Senator Robert Jackson and Community Leader Johanna Garcia.

The more our community members vote in local elections & the previous Governor's race  the more representation we earn for Northern Manhattan. The number of candidates we can run is published as "The Party Call" on the Manhattan Dems website ahead of petitioning. Click here to view an example of the Party Call for Judicial Delegates & Alternate Judicial Delegates from February 7th, published on February 10th of 2025.

The best way to understand the roles and responsibilities of County Committee & Judicial Delegation Members is to read the Party Rules for the New York County Democratic Committee. You can access them on the Manhattan Dems website, click here.

COUNTY COMMITTEE

County Committee Members must attend two specific kinds of meetings. Their Assembly District's local County Committee Meeting, held within 30 days after each election - referred to as the Divisional Assembly District Committee Organizing Meeting. The second kind of meeting is the county-wide County Committee Organizing Meeting, usually scheduled for the first week of October.

The first Divisional meeting is held after the June Primary. During this first meeting a Chairperson, Secretary and 'such other officers as the Committee may determine' will be elected. When the quorum consisting of 20% of the District's membership is reached the Committee may choose to fill vacancies in the County Committee seats.

The county-wide County Committee Organizing Meeting is where party rules are approved, the chair of the Executive Committee is elected, members of the Ethics Committee are approved, and discussions between members in other districts can confer with one another. Our Assembly Districts are often underrepresented at this convention. Anyone who ran for County Committee should attend to remain an active part of the community even if they cannot participate in the process. Be sure to caucus with your district after you check-in. Identify yourself as a County Committee Member, Delegate or member of a particular Assembly District when you arrive. You will be given verbal instructions as per where you should sit. If you are not currently a member of County Committee, you may be able to fill a vacancy. This can be arranged with your District’s Leader.

All members elected in the most recent primary or appointed to fill vacancies at such meetings are entitled to be noticed of, attend and vote in any subsequent Divisional AD Committee Organizing Meetings and the County Committee Organizing Meeting.

Serving on County Committee (a two-year term) is a great way to be involved and make change happen at the local level. The main tasks performed by County Committee members are: (1) Attend Divisional Committee Meetings, (2) Attend one organizing meeting every two years, (3) Elect Party Leadership, (4) Approve Party Rules, (5) Choose Democratic nominee in state special elections, i.e. US Congressperson Jerrold Nadler in 1992, (6) Help fill judicial vacancies, (7) Vote on resolutions of public concern submitted by members, (8) Engage with your community.

JUDICIAL DELEGATES

In the first week of June the New York County Democratic Committee (Manhattan Dems) form the annual Supreme Court & Civil Court Independent Judicial Screening Panel. The Judicial Political Calendar is officially published and includes the (1) judicial application, (2) application deadline, (3) Independent Screening Panel meetings, (4) Civil Court Screening Panel report deadline, (5) Supreme Court Screening Panel report deadline, and the date for the August New York County Democratic Judicial Convention.

Judicial Delegates should be aware of the Judicial Political Schedule and members of the Independent Judicial Screening Panel and follow the results that are published in the Screening Panel reports.

Judicial Delegates must attend Judicial Forums in their Assembly District & confer with members of their district on their concerns in the judicial system, more specifically about our county's court rooms. Candidates may reach out to the Judicial Delegates individually, and candidates are likely to attend local social functions to get to know the community and interact further with delegates.

Judicial Delegates must attend the Judicial Nominating Convention, scheduled in early August. Our Assembly Districts are often underrepresented at this convention. Anyone who ran for Judicial Delegate or Alternate Judicial Delegate should attend to remain an active part of the community even if they cannot participate in the process. Be sure to caucus with your district after you check-in. Identify yourself as a County Committee Member, Delegate or member of a particular Assembly District when you arrive. You should be handed instructions as per your designation.

The 2025 Judicial Convention is located at SVA Theatre, 333 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011 on Monday, August 11th at 7pm.

For more information on the nomination process for New York City judges, click here, for the NYC Bar Associations Selection Process Guide.