NYC's June 28 Primary Election for Dummies

NEW YORK CITY, NY — Time to get out and vote again, fam.

The June 28 federal primary elections in NYC aren't exactly stacked with Bernie vs. Hillary blowouts — but they aren't quite as boring as usual, either. And why not take 20 minutes out of the workday to lob your 2 cents at Capitol Hill? Democracy is fun and good!

2016 New York Democratic Primary Results: Polls Open for Seat of Retiring Charles Rangel

2016 Democratic Primary Results: Nadler, Maloney Both Looking for Re-election

Here's the who, what and how of the primaries this Tuesday.

I. Huh? What election?

Yeah. You're not alone. We just heard about them, like, yesterday. Here's a solid explainer on why New York State still schedules its presidential, state and federal primaries on different days, and why that is kind of a sucky way of doing things.

In short: On June 28 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., we will be voting on which local candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives we would like to send into the general election this November.

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II. OK. Election. Why should I care?

Because incumbent politicians snoozing in their chairs for decades is a loogie in the face of our forefathers. (Not that there's anything inherently wrong with incumbents. We've just got to keep them on their toes — if only because we're paying their salaries.)

And this year more than most years, we've got a chance to shake things up: Contentious races between Democrats are going down in nearly half of the 16 congressional districts that fall at least partly within NYC.

Because NYC is such a blue zone, there aren't any primary races for House Republicans this year. But that also means the Democratic primaries are even more critical, as the candidates we choose June 28 have a good chance of winning in the Nov. 8 general election.

Did we mention democracy?

III. Fine. So who should I vote for?

Depends on where you live, yo.

First, enter your home address into the city's interactive "Poll Site Locator" site.

(FYI, you'll have to be registered as a Democrat at this address to vote. If you happen to be registered with the Reform Party, use this guide to find your polling place. If you have no idea what the Reform Party is, forget we mentioned it and move along.)

Once you enter your address, the site will tell you where to vote.

Scroll down farther, and you'll see an option to download a sample ballot for the June 28 federal primary election. That's how you'll find out which congressional district you live in, and therefore which U.S. House of Representatives candidates are vying for your vote.

IV. All the candidates sound boring and the same. How do I choose?

Ah, the age-old problem of extracting the true grit from lesser-covered local political races.

The bad news: You might have to do some research. The good news: We'll get you started.

DISTRICT 3

• Location: Most of the north shore of Long Island, plus some neighborhoods in far northeastern Queens (map)
• Candidates: Jon Kaiman; Steve Stern; Jonathan C. Clarke; Thomas R. Suozzi; Anna Kaplan
• Coverage: "Open Seat: A documentary following the race in New York's 3rd Congressional District"

DISTRICT 5

• Location: The Rockaways, the JFK Airport area and other neighborhoods in southern Queens (map)
• Candidates: Gregory W. Meeks (incumbent); Ali A. Mirza
• Coverage: "In District 5, which includes Jamaica, St. Albans, Queens Village and the Rockaways, as well as part of Nassau County, nine-term incumbent Gregory Meeks is trying to fend off a challenge from Elmont, Long Island public relations firm owner Ali Mirza. Meeks has faced repeated federal investigations over the course of his tenure, including for steering thousands of dollars to a nonprofit he founded with the stated intent of helping Hurricane Katrina victims, when little money ultimately was passed on, and for failing to report a $40,000 loan from a real estate broker who later pleaded guilty to mortgage fraud in an unrelated scheme." — Gothamist

DISTRICT 7

• Location: Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Bushwick, East New York, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, Gowanus, Sunset Park and part of Park Slope in Brooklyn; Ridgewood, Maspeth and Woodside in Queens; and parts of the Lower East Side and Chinatown in Manhattan (map)
• Candidates: Nydia M. Velazquez (incumbent); Yungman F. Lee; Jeffrey M. Kurzon
• Coverage: "Velazquez Wants Feds To Oversee Primary"; "Longtime Brooklyn Congresswoman Faces Two Challengers in Primary Tuesday"

DISTRICT 10

• Location: The Upper West Side, Chelsea, the West Village, Greenwich Village, Tribeca and the Financial District in Manhattan; Borough Park, Kensington and slivers of Red Hook, Gowanus, Sunset Park, Midwood, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights in Brooklyn (map)
• Candidates: Jerrold L. Nadler (incumbent); Mikhail Oliver Rosenberg
• Coverage: "NYC Congress Race Goes South: Incumbent Accused of Anti-Gay, Anti-Israel Stance"; "Jackie Mason Calls Jerry Nadler ‘Overweight’ in Primary Opponent’s Robocall"

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DISTRICT 12

• Location: The Upper East Side, Midtown, the East Village and part of the Lower East Side in Manhattan; Greenpoint and part of Williamsburg in Brooklyn; Long Island City, Astoria and other neighborhoods in western Queens (map)
• Candidates: Carolyn B. Maloney (incumbent); Peter Lindner
• Coverage: "Union Square Man Runs Against Maloney"

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DISTRICT 13

• Location: Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood and part of the Upper East Side in Manhattan; the southern tip of the Bronx (map)
• Candidates: Sam Sloan; Keith L. T. Wright; Guillermo Linares; Adam Clayton Powell; Clyde E. Williams; Suzan D. Johnson-Cook; Michael Gallagher; Yohanny M. Caceres; Adriano Espaillat
• Coverage: "Election Results: Nine Candidates Vying to Replace Charlie Rangel"

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DISTRICT 15

• Location: The southwestern Bronx (map)
• Candidates: Jose E. Serrano (incumbent); Leonel Baez
• Coverage: "Influential Latino Dems Clash in NY District"

Top image courtesy of the League of Women Voters of California/Flickr