Voter Guide for the 2025 Primary: How do I know who to vote for?

Why NYC Voters Need NYCVotes.org and BallotReady.org for the 2025 Primary: New York City’s primary is overwhelming. With 11 Democratic candidates for mayor and dozens more for other offices, it can feel like standing in an ocean of faces and promises, making it easy to get lost, confused, or even drawn in by novelty candidates.

Case in point: Paperboy Love Prince. They appear in a suit with clown paint, advocating universal basic income, housing for all, and spreading love. At first glance, it may seem like performance art rather than politics.

Update on Paperboy Love Prince: After watching their videos and learning more about their platform and work in the community, I was genuinely moved. Their message is rooted in love, equity, and possibility—values that are rare in politics. I initially ranked them fifth because some candidates are more likely to move policy quickly due to political fluency and lower resistance from the system. But if politics were purely heart-centered, Paperboy would be my number one. Their candidacy is not a gimmick; it represents a glimpse of the compassionate and conscious future we could create together.

Feeling lost? You’re not alone. Many people skip primaries because when they feel overwhelmed, they disengage. This is a loss not just for voters, but also for the quality of candidates who reach the general election ballot.

Here’s where NYCVotes.org and BallotReady.org come in: NYCVotes.org is a one-stop guide. You can enter your address and view exactly who you’ll be voting for—mayor, comptroller, City Council, and more. Each candidate is presented with their top three issues clearly stated. There are expandable bios, deeper breakdowns, debate information, and ballot-planning tools. It is an official voter guide, not a biased third-party site. But NYCVotes.org has limits. On June 14, the first day of early voting, I tried to pull up Paperboy Love Prince’s profile and the site kept timing out. The servers were overwhelmed by demand, which shows how much New Yorkers are trying to make informed choices and how fragile the system is when only one site carries this load.

Update on BallotReady.org: This site quickly became my favorite. Unlike NYCVotes.org, it loaded easily even on a busy day. You can research candidates, choose, and save your selections. It allows you to “vote before you vote,” which makes election day easier. I now use it for every election.

Why this matters: If you don’t vote in the primary, default candidates end up shaping the general election. For busy people, seeing the top three issues per candidate is a game-changer. With early voting starting June 14 and the primary on June 24, the time to prepare is now.

How to use it: Go to NYCVotes.org or BallotReady.org, type in your registered address, select your party, review candidates’ priorities, and click for more if you want. Save or screenshot your selections to bring to the polls.

Final word: NYC’s primary can feel like a circus, with big names, unusual candidates, and too much information. But you don’t have to drown in it. Use these tools to cut through the noise and focus on substance over spectacle. Voting matters, and these resources can help you cast a meaningful vote. At the same time, we should push for stronger infrastructure so that reliable voter information is always available when it matters most.