No, each NYCHA development has its own resident association. NYCHA residents are also represented at the jurisdictional level by the Citywide Council of Presidents (CCOP).

How many NYCHA resident associations are there?

There are over 230 resident associations across the city. Nearly 95% of all NYCHA developments are represented by resident associations.

At the citywide level, residents are represented by the Citywide Council of Presidents (CCOP). The CCOP is organized by nine districts in the city—Bronx North, Bronx South, Brooklyn East, Brooklyn South, Brooklyn West, Manhattan North, Manhattan South, Queens, and Staten Island. Every president of a recognized resident association is a member of the Citywide Council of President

How are the board members determined?

The board is elected by authorized residents of the NYCHA development. In order to become an executive board member of the Resident Association, a resident must first meet the eligibility criteria (see question 7 for eligibility criteria) to be nominated and run for office. Each resident association must have a minimum of five officers which include a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Sergeant at Arms.

How often do elections occur?

Resident association elections should take place as the executive board’s term is approaching expiration. Ideally the election process will begin three months prior to the term expiration to ensure a seamless transition of the board. It is the responsibility of the individual resident association to satisfy HUD minimum standards for fair and frequent elections and to follow its own procedures as adopted.

What happens if a resident association does not start their election and their term has expired?

If a resident council fails to satisfy HUD minimum standards for fair and frequent elections, or fails to follow its own election procedures as adopted, HUD requires NYCHA to withdraw recognition of the resident council and to withhold resident services funds as well as funds provided in conjunction with services rendered for resident participation in public housing. NYCHA works closely with resident associations to avoid having to withdraw recognition. NYCHA offers 2 cycles of citywide elections a year to capture RAs expiring in the Spring and Fall.

How can I find out if my development is having an election?

Check with your resident leadership, your management office, Resident Engagement (nyc.gov), or email us at RA.Elect@nycha.nyc.gov

I want to run for office, how can I do that?

In order to run for office, you must be nominated at your resident association’s nomination meeting during the election process. All nominees must be eligible to run for and hold office. The election process usually occurs over a 60- to 90-day period starting with a general information session. We advise you to attend the information session so that you can receive information that may be unique or specific to your development's association.

What is the eligibility requirement to run for and hold office?

All candidates must be current with their rent. For arrears that accrued after March 13, 2020, residents must have given consent to NYCHA to apply for ERAP on their behalf. If a tenant is currently in compliance with their rental payment agreement, the “current in rent” requirement shall be deemed satisfied.

A tenant is disqualified from running for office if the Office of Impartial Hearings (OIH) has issued an administrative determination of lease non-compliance.

Tenants with pending cases with the Law Department or those who are currently appearing in front of the OIH are presumed compliant until OIH issues its determination.
Cases settled by stipulation do not disqualify a tenant, so long as the tenant is in compliance with the terms of the stipulation.

An exception to the above rule is the following: If there are circumstances invulving the tenancy which create an immediate threat to the health and safety of other tenants or NYCHA property, (including criminal activity), NYCHA’s Law Department will review these cases to determine eligibility. These cases should be brought to Resident Engagement and then forwarded to the Law Department for review.

Any tenant who fails to fully comply with the terms or conditions of any determination, recommendation, instruction, directive, settlement, or the equivalent, issued by the NYCHA Department of Equal Opportunity or Law Department, the New York City Law Department, the NYCHA Office of the Inspector General, the New York City Department of Investigation, or a third-party investigator, is not eligible to hold or run for RA office. Upon a showing of non-compliance, any tenant-candidate running for RA office will be automatically disqualified from further consideration, and any tenant currently holding a RA office shall immediately resign from any office held. A failure to resign will result in NYCHA’s withdrawal of recognition of the RA. Proof of non-compliance sufficient to render a tenant ineligible for RA office must be made by credible evidence.

Can I nominate myself to run for a position in the resident association?

A resident can nominate themselves to run for a position with their resident association at the time of the association’s nomination meeting unless otherwise specified in their resident associations 'by-laws.

How do I vote?

NYCHA offers residents the option to vote in person or electronically. A few weeks prior to the election the development is notified on the availability of both voting options. If you want to vote electronically, you will have to let us know by filling out a quick survey so that we can confirm your eligibility to vote and where to email your electronic ballot.

How do you verify the identity of a voter online?

We cross reference the name and address of the resident who has registered to vote against NYCHA’s Tenant Data System. Both the online and in-person methods are equally secure.

Is verification done on each voter who registers?

Yes, we verify tenancy of all voters. The system NYCHA used to conduct online voting is called Election Runner. Election Runner has a fraud analysis detection system which prevents any online voter from voting more than once and detects and prevents people from casting multiple votes on different devices. Additionally, Election Runner promptly closes electronic voting at the same time as in-person voting and any resident attempting to vote after closure of the election will receive a notification indicating voting has closed via email.

Can I vote in person and online?

No, you must choose whether to vote online OR in person, you cannot do both. If you choose to vote online, you will not be able to vote in person. If you miss the deadline to sign up to vote online and you would still like to vote, you must cast your vote in-person.

Why can’t I vote on behalf of my parent?

We do not allow residents to vote for another resident by proxy, regardless of whether one resident is related or not. Any resident that wants to vote must vote themselves either in person OR online. For residents who vote in person with assistance from a caretaker or home attendant, their caretaker or home attendant may assist them when voting if necessary.

Can I have a poll watcher?

Yes, if you are a candidate running in the election, you may have a poll watcher. Every candidate is entitled to one poll watcher (space permitting).

How will I find out the election results?

The election ballots are counted in person and online immediately after the close of the election. In most elections we broadcast the count via Zoom, or you may watch the count in person, space permitting.

How are the votes counted once the election is over?

Once the polls close, NYCHA staff will present the electronic ballot results first, then we will conduct a live count of the in-person ballots.

What happens if there’s a tie?

If there is a tie, there will be a run-off election.

What if no one wins a majority vote?

If a resident association’s by-laws require majority cast vote, a candidate must win half of the votes cast for that office, plus one to win a majority. Typically, when there are more than two candidates running for an office, it is more difficult to achieve a majority.

I don’t agree with the outcome of the election. How can NYCHA address this?

Residents may not agree with the outcome of an election, but this is not a legitimate reason to contest the election. However, residents do have the ability to protest the election process within 72 hours of the election by writing the reason for their protest to the RA.Elect@nycha.nyc.gov mailbox. Protests are submitted for review by the Office of the Vice President for Resident Engagement then submitted to NYCHA’s Law Department for a final determination. A written decision is then sent to the protestor and candidates.

Additional FAQ:

Can I vote in any or all NYCHA resident association elections?

Even if you are a resident of a NYCHA development, you can only vote in the resident association election that is taking place for your development. If you are not a tenant of the development, you cannot run for office or vote in the election.

What if there are multiple people in the household who are over the age of 18 but the head of household has chosen to vote electronically online?

Members of the same household do not have to vote in the same method. If the head of household chooses to vote electronically, the other members of the household who are over 18 can still choose their preferred method of voting, either electronically or in person.

Is everyone in the household composition eligible to vote?

If a resident is on the household composition and over the age of 18, they are eligible to vote. If the resident is younger than 18 but is the head of household, that resident is eligible to vote as well.

What is the duration time of the election?

Typically, voting is open for 4 hours on the designated election day.

There are folks who are subletting within a NYCHA apartment who plan to vote via online. Is this allowed?

No, when a resident registers to vote online, we verify tenancy before we send that resident an electronic ballot to vote.

Do all elections have to have an online option to vote?

Yes, if NYCHA is facilitating the election