I covered one gubernatorial candidate’s very expensive (and ultimately unsuccessful) direct mail campaign for my vote in advance of the 2022 New York election primaries. I have not yet received campaign mail this year. However, New York’s presidential primaries are coming up on Tuesday, April 2, and New York City never fails to mail voter guides before regularly scheduled elections – even when the results are obvious well in advance (for whatever it is worth, many New York City elections are similarly uncompetitive to presidential primaries that occur after both major parties have presumptive nominees). But this post is not to tell you about the election or for me to confidently predict than Messrs. Joe Biden and Donald Trump will win the Democrat and Republican New York presidential primaries respectively. Let us look at the mailing:

Photograph of mailed leaflet from NYC Board of Elections for the 2024 Presidential Primary Election on April 2, 2024. The borders are burnt orange and center is dark blue. Right side features a pigeon illustration and early voting dates.

I want to zoom in on one part of the mailing.

Picture of section of NYC Board of Elections mailer for 2024 Presidential Primary Election. Background is dark blue. Left side of page says 2024 Presidential Primary Election. On the top right next to 2024 is an illustration of a common gray pigeon.

I like that pigeon. Has the pigeon always been a thing on New York City voter guides and information mailers? It feels vaguely familiar but at the same time I do not specifically remember seeing it before now. In any event, I approve of this design choice with one caveat. The pigeon fades into the dark blue background. They should make the pigeon pop more or maybe even go with a white pigeon next time. You can always count on me for graphic design advice.