Melillo details influencer selection criteria and nonpartisanship safeguards
Melillo says the CFB prioritizes younger voters, non-English speakers, voters with disabilities, and those impacted by the criminal legal system in the South Bronx, South Brooklyn, and Queens, requires influencers to be NYC residents with majority local audiences, and includes nonpartisanship clauses barring candidate endorsements.
This strategic engagement is driven by our city charter mandate to prioritize communities, both demographic and geographic, that are underrepresented in the electoral process.
These priority audiences include younger voters under age 30, voters who primarily speak a language other than English,
voters with disabilities, and voters who have been impacted by the criminal legal system.
We also focus outreach on neighborhoods in the South Bronx, South Brooklyn, Northern Queens, and Central Queens that have lower voter turnout and a higher concentration of these priority audiences.
Our work with influencers reflects the CFB's broader commitment to reaching and engaging these audiences and communities.
We take our position as a nonpartisan agency seriously.
The CFB uses clear criteria to select influencers based on their audience,
Each must be a New York City resident with a majority audience in the five boroughs, and we prioritize influencers who can reach our priority audiences.
Our internal nonpartisanship policy requires that all contracts include a nonpartisanship clause and an agreement not to endorse or oppose candidates.
Starting from the date they begin working with the CFB until 90 days after the general election.
These guardrails enable the agency to avoid working with influencers who have expressed opinions on candidates or taken positions on political parties, ballot proposals, or contentious partisan issues.