Your Vote Matters Less In NY Than Most Other States: Study

NEW YORK — New Yorkers will cast ballots in just a week to decide races for governor and a slew of seats in the state and federal legislatures – but their votes will mean less in this state than they do in most other parts of the country, a new WalletHub study suggests.

The personal finance website ranked the power of all 50 states' voters based on their voting-age populations and the number of seats their areas hold in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The study also factored in each state's governorship.

New York ranked 30th overall on WalletHub's list, indicating voters here are less powerful than in most other states. Votes here are least influential in Senate races — the state ranks 49th in that category, just one slot above dead-last California. That's apparently because New York has a large population of potential voters aged 18 or older but only two senators, like every other state.

Despite that low ranking, New York does have two of the nation's most prominent senators: Sen. Chuck Schumer is the chamber's Democratic leader and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has grown her national profile since the election of President Donald Trump. She faces re-election this year against Republican challenger Chele Chiavacci Farley.

Individual voters are also pretty powerless in the upcoming governor's race pitting Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo against the Republican Marc Molinaro, WalletHub says. The state ranks 48th in the nation for voter power in gubernatorial elections, ahead of only Texas and California.

New York voters fare better when it comes to the state's 27 congressional races, ranking 14th in the nation for voter power in House elections, according to WalletHub. West Virginia took the top spot in that category, while Montana placed last.

See WalletHub's full study here.

(Lead image: Photo from Shutterstock)