In a perfect world, yes. But in reality, no.

In the 2004 mayoral election, Mayor Bloomberg won by 249,879 votes—out of 1,315,360 cast. In 2003, there were 8.1 million people in New York City. That means that only 16% of the population voted. By default, each voter represented 6 of his or her neighbors.

And in local races, your vote counts even more. For example, in the Queens District 11 Senate race, Frank Padavan won by just over 400 votes in 2008 and in a 2009 special election, Kenneth Mitchell edged out opponent Debi Rose by 341 votes in District 49.

In New York City Primaries are strictly by party-line. Without a party affiliation you can't vote in the Primary and, consequently, you lose an opportunity to shape the election process. In other words, if you are a registered Democrat or Republican you can only vote in the primary for one of the Democrat or Republican candidates. (Sorry Independents, even if you like one of the Democrat or Republican candidates, you can't vote for them in the primary.)

So, if you care about a specific race or specific candidate, it is all about the primary, because if you don't come out and vote for him or her then, they may not even be on the ballot come November.

You can register with a party when you register to vote.