Part interactive public performance, part civic survey, Hot Button Issues transformed the tradition of political campaign pins into a way to gauge the concerns and priorities of New Yorkers. Capitalizing on the then, current mayoral campaigns, we invited passersby to pick from one of our many buttons representing various local concerns--from candidates of the upcoming election to pressing policy issues facing our city. By picking one button over the others, the participating public expressed their concerns by wearing the political message they felt strongest about while, in effect, "voting" for the issue that concerns them the most. In the end, we tallied up these "votes" and posted them on our website in order of popularity, indicating the order of priority these messages held for this project's participators.