Study Shows Participatory Budgeting Attracts Disengaged Voters

The Community Development Project at the Urban Justice Center took a look at data collected from people involved in participatory budgeting around the city (including exit interviews and surveys with voters), and found that the process attracted:

• Female voters — over 60% of voters were women

• The disillusioned — 52% of PB voters disapproved with how government business is conducted in NYC

• Non-voters — about 1/3 of PB voters said they “rarely vote, sometimes miss or never vote,” and more than 600 voters had barriers to vote in general elections

Additionally, citywide, more than a third of PB voters were people of color, and 23% of voters reported household incomes below $35,000.

So what’s the reason people seem more willing to get involved with participatory budgeting? DNAinfo spoke with Alexa Kasdan of the Community Development Project at the Urban Justice Center, who noted that “PB projects are more tangible and [voters] can actually see the result.”

We’re looking forward to seeing the results of our winning PB projects, including Church Avenue pedestrian safety improvements and new computers at the Windsor Terrace library.