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Politico
19 hours ago
- Climate
- Politico
As New York mayor's race heats up, Cuomo warns of inadequate weather plans
NEW YORK — The New York City mayoral race is heating up – literally. With temperatures predicted to hit 100 degrees on Election Day, front-runner Andrew Cuomo is anxious to get his voters into polling sites — and he's demanding better preparation from city officials. Cuomo, the Democratic frontrunner in the tightening race, posted on X, 'The steps outlined to meet the heat at polling locations are not sufficient. Water must be passed out and A/C systems must be installed to ensure that people who are voting can do so in a cool and comfortable environment.' The city Board of Elections' heat plan 'is insufficient, it's unacceptable,' Cuomo spokesperson Jason Elan said. 'We've been clear that the city should be distributing water on site, and that they would be installing a/c systems to make sure that everybody who wants to can make their voice heard on election day.' The former governor has reason to be concerned about turnout next Tuesday: His anticipated victory relies upon robust support from older voters, who are more susceptible to dangerous heat conditions. Board of Elections spokesperson Vincent Ignizio declined to comment on the Cuomo's campaign complaint. The board emphasized its preparation for the heat wave, releasing a statement earlier Thursday that staffers are finding fans for poll sites without air conditioning, 'ensuring a steady supply of water' and pledging a continuous supply of electricity, given the increased possibility of power outages. Ignizio couldn't say Thursday how many of the city's 1,213 poll sites lack air conditioning since the board's 'site-by-site assessment' was ongoing. Contingency plans are in place to keep voting going through power outages, he added. And the board doesn't expect any voters having to wait in long lines, whether indoors or out. 'Our anticipation is that there is ample amount of bandwidth in the system to accommodate the voting,' he said. There are just as many poll sites for the local primary as there were for the presidential election last year, which had roughly triple the turnout expected for the race to replace Mayor Eric Adams. Cuomo was the first candidate to publicly raise concerns about the heat wave. On Wednesday, he called on Mayor Eric Adams' administration to guarantee every poll site is 'cool, comfortable and accessible,' and ensure bottled water is provided to every voter. The former governor is running on his experience and take-charge attitude, and has taken digs at Adams' management. In a statement, City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus deferred to the Board of Elections, adding that it's an independent agency. 'As Andrew Cuomo should know, elections are managed by the New York City Board of Elections – an independent body, separate from the Adams administration,' she said. 'Mayor Adams believes that all New Yorkers should exercise their democratic right to vote, and we are coordinating closely with the New York City Board of Elections in advance of Tuesday's forecasted heat to monitor for impacts.' Cuomo isn't the only candidate with concerns. 'It's going to be blazing hot,' mayoral candidate Brad Lander said Thursday after casting his vote early. 'Let's make sure now that the air conditioning is working in every polling site, and let's make sure it's on in advance.' 'I do not have confidence that Eric Adams' administration will do it,' Lander added. Hot temperatures hurting Cuomo's vote total has been the subject of jokes from supporters of Zohran Mamdani. Cuomo's leading rival has a highly motivated base of younger voters who may be more likely to vote early, or to show up Tuesday despite the weather. 'Someone's worried about the old turnout Make it HOTTER!!!' leftist podcast host Stylianos Karoldis posted on X, referring to Cuomo. 'Praying to God it's a temperature only people under 45 can withstand,' he added. Mamdani's campaign is taking a more sober view. 'We're concerned about the health and safety of every voter, and want people to take every precaution,' spokesperson Andrew Epstein said. That includes the campaign's 'tens of thousands' of volunteers who will be standing outside poll sites as well, The campaign is preparing with pop-up tents, snacks, water and 'a lot of very specific guidance to canvassers to dress appropriately for the heat, to take breaks,' Epstein said. The National Weather Service is predicting a high near 94 Tuesday, with the heat index potentially exceeding 100 degrees at times, calling it 'a true summertime hot and humid regime.' Accuweather is also predicting that the high Tuesday could break the New York City record for June 24 of 96 degrees, set in 1888. Later that year, New Yorkers elected 30-year-old Tammany Hall favorite Hugh Grant, the youngest mayor in the city's history. Hoping to hold off the 33-year-old Mamdani, Cuomo's pushing his supporters to vote early, through Sunday, when temperatures will be merely hot, and not yet miserable. 'While it's hot out in New York today, it's only going to get hotter,' Cuomo's campaign wrote in an email to supporters Thursday. 'So please, vote today, and encourage everyone you know to vote now to avoid next week's extreme heat.' Voting rights advocates are pushing the same message. 'I don't ever remember a primary or any election day in New York state being remotely this hot,' said Perry Grossman, director of the Voting Rights Project at the New York Civil Liberties Union. 'My strong message to everybody is: early vote. Whether it's today, tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, it's gonna be a little bit cooler. Take advantage of it.' Joe Anuta contributed reporting
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
How ranked choice voting works: A guide ahead of New York City's primary
When New Yorkers fill out ballots in Tuesday's mayoral primary, they'll be able to choose more than just one candidate. They can pick a second choice. And a third. And a fourth. And a fifth. It's part of a process called ranked choice voting, a system that lets voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than pick just one. Supporters of the system say ranked choice voting builds consensus, promotes positive campaigning and lets voters express a fuller range of opinions. Opponents argue it's overly complicated and can lead to ballots' being thrown out. Here's what you need to know about ranked choice voting. Ranked choice voting is a method of voting in which people rank candidates in order of preference. The number of candidates voters can rank depends on the specific rules in an area. In New York City, voters can rank up to five in one race. Voters don't have to fill their ballots, though. A voter whose heart is set on only one candidate can just pick one. But if that candidate doesn't get the most votes, that voter won't have a say in later rounds of counting. After the votes are tabulated, the last-place candidate is eliminated. Ballots from voters who supported that candidate then have the next choice counted. If no candidate has hit 50%, then counting continues, eliminating another last-place candidate and counting the next-ranked choices on all those ballots in the next round. The process continues until a candidate reaches majority support and wins. It depends on where the election is. In Maine, for example, the ranked choice tabulation in one of the state's congressional districts was conducted on Nov. 15 last year, 10 days after Election Day. In New York City, the Board of Elections will post unofficial results from the first round of votes on election night. Preliminary elimination rounds will be tabulated a week later, and officials will post an unofficial report, according to the elections board. The results could still change as mail and affidavit ballots are processed. It can take longer to project winners in ranked choice votes, because election authorities need to have every ballot counted before they know in what order to eliminate last-place finishers. And as we know from recent elections, it can take some time to process and count mail-in ballots, provisional votes and others. Supporters argue that ranked choice voting strengthens democracy by promoting positive campaigning and coalition-building, since people choose more than one candidate. Advocates also say the system encourages politicians to find middle ground, which could help reduce the number of lawmakers on the ideological fringe. 'With RCV, candidates run more positive campaigns — or even 'cross-endorse' one another. Instead of worrying about 'wasting' their vote or picking the lesser of two evils, voters can rank their honest preferences. RCV rewards candidates who can build a majority coalition,' Deb Otis, the director of research and policy for the election reform group FairVote, said in a statement. In New York, mayoral contender Zohran Mamdani, for example, has announced cross-endorsements with fellow contenders Michael Blake and Brad Lander in an effort to consolidate support. The system is also called instant runoff voting, since it replaces the need for separately scheduled runoffs for winners to get majority support, because votes are counted until a candidate has majority support. New York City spent about $13 million in 2013 for a runoff that drew a turnout rate of 6%, which drew calls to switch to ranked choice voting. Supporters also point out that ranked choice voting eliminates candidates' winning with extremely low percentages in crowded primaries. For example, Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., won her primary in 2020 with 19% of the vote before she easily won the general election. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., won an open primary in 2022 with 28% before he likewise enjoyed an easy general election in a safe district. 'New Yorkers adopted ranked choice voting because they wanted a change from primaries where candidates could win with just 20% of the vote. Now, thanks to RCV, voters have more choice and more voice in who represents them,' Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York, said in a statement. Opponents argue that the system confuses voters and leads to ballots' being thrown out. Critics also say ranked choice voting lengthens the voting process because voters have to take the time to research all of the candidates. In New York City's case, that includes 11 mayoral candidates on the Democratic side. New York's 2021 mayor's race was also marred by initial controversy after 135,000 test ballots were accidentally included in one version of the announced election returns as the city used ranked choice voting for the first time. 'Ranked choice voting is like putting your ballot in a paper shredder and hoping democracy miraculously reassembles itself inside the black box of tabulation,' said Madeline Malisa, a senior fellow at the conservative Foundation for Government Accountability. 'The reality is ranked choice voting has been a disaster of delayed results, errors, confusion and voter disenfranchisement everywhere it's been tried. All of those problems erode confidence,' Malisa added. Some groups have also argued that ranked choice voting disenfranchises minority voters, with several analyses noting that wealthier and whiter neighborhoods had fewer mismarked ballots and more use of ranking. Though ranked choice voting has spread to a number of jurisdictions in recent years, there have also been efforts to roll it back. In Alaska, voters narrowly passed (by about 1 percentage point) a ballot measure enacting a ranked choice voting system in 2020. Four years later, an effort to repeal the system failed by an even narrower margin, 0.2 points. This article was originally published on
NBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- NBC News
How ranked choice voting works: A guide ahead of New York City's primary
When New Yorkers fill out ballots in Tuesday's mayoral primary, they'll be able to choose more than just one candidate. They can pick a second choice. And a third. And a fourth. And a fifth. It's part of a process called ranked choice voting, a system that lets voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than pick just one. Supporters of the system say ranked choice voting builds consensus, promotes positive campaigning and lets voters express a fuller range of opinions. Opponents argue it's overly complicated and can lead to ballots' being thrown out. Here's what you need to know about ranked choice voting. How does ranked choice voting work? Ranked choice voting is a method of voting in which people rank candidates in order of preference. The number of candidates voters can rank depends on the specific rules in an area. In New York City, voters can rank up to five in one race. Voters don't have to fill their ballots, though. A voter whose heart is set on only one candidate can just pick one. But if that candidate doesn't get the most votes, that voter won't have a say in later rounds of counting. After the votes are tabulated, the last-place candidate is eliminated. Ballots from voters who supported that candidate then have the next choice counted. If no candidate has hit 50%, then counting continues, eliminating another last-place candidate and counting the next-ranked choices on all those ballots in the next round. The process continues until a candidate reaches majority support and wins. How long does it take to count the votes? It depends on where the election is. In Maine, for example, the ranked choice tabulation in one of the state's congressional districts was conducted on Nov. 15 last year, 10 days after Election Day. In New York City, the Board of Elections will post unofficial results from the first round of votes on election night. Preliminary elimination rounds will be tabulated a week later, and officials will post an unofficial report, according to the elections board. The results could still change as mail and affidavit ballots are processed. It can take longer to project winners in ranked choice votes, because election authorities need to have every ballot counted before they know in what order to eliminate last-place finishers. And as we know from recent elections, it can take some time to process and count mail-in ballots, provisional votes and others. Why use ranked choice voting? Supporters argue that ranked choice voting strengthens democracy by promoting positive campaigning and coalition-building, since people choose more than one candidate. Advocates also say the system encourages politicians to find middle ground, which could help reduce the number of lawmakers on the ideological fringe. 'With RCV, candidates run more positive campaigns — or even 'cross-endorse' one another. Instead of worrying about 'wasting' their vote or picking the lesser of two evils, voters can rank their honest preferences. RCV rewards candidates who can build a majority coalition,' Deb Otis, the director of research and policy for the election reform group FairVote, said in a statement. In New York, mayoral contender Zohran Mamdani, for example, has announced cross-endorsements with fellow contenders Michael Blake and Brad Lander in an effort to consolidate support. The system is also called instant runoff voting, since it replaces the need for separately scheduled runoffs for winners to get majority support, because votes are counted until a candidate has majority support. New York City spent about $13 million in 2013 for a runoff that drew a turnout rate of 6%, which drew calls to switch to ranked choice voting. Supporters also point out that ranked choice voting eliminates candidates' winning with extremely low percentages in crowded primaries. For example, Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., won her primary in 2020 with 19% of the vote before she easily won the general election. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., won an open primary in 2022 with 28% before he likewise enjoyed an easy general election in a safe district. 'New Yorkers adopted ranked choice voting because they wanted a change from primaries where candidates could win with just 20% of the vote. Now, thanks to RCV, voters have more choice and more voice in who represents them,' Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York, said in a statement. What are the problems with ranked choice voting? Opponents argue that the system confuses voters and leads to ballots' being thrown out. Critics also say ranked choice voting lengthens the voting process because voters have to take the time to research all of the candidates. In New York City's case, that includes 11 mayoral candidates on the Democratic side. New York's 2021 mayor's race was also marred by initial controversy after 135,000 test ballots were accidentally included in one version of the announced election returns as the city used ranked choice voting for the first time. 'Ranked choice voting is like putting your ballot in a paper shredder and hoping democracy miraculously reassembles itself inside the black box of tabulation,' said Madeline Malisa, a senior fellow at the conservative Foundation for Government Accountability. 'The reality is ranked choice voting has been a disaster of delayed results, errors, confusion and voter disenfranchisement everywhere it's been tried. All of those problems erode confidence,' Malisa added. Some groups have also argued that ranked choice voting disenfranchises minority voters, with several analyses noting that wealthier and whiter neighborhoods had fewer mismarked ballots and more use of ranking. Though ranked choice voting has spread to a number of jurisdictions in recent years, there have also been efforts to roll it back. In Alaska, voters narrowly passed (by about 1 percentage point) a ballot measure enacting a ranked choice voting system in 2020. Four years later, an effort to repeal the system failed by an even narrower margin, 0.2 points.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Voters to decide fate of 14 candidates in Ludhiana West bypoll
1 2 3 Ludhiana: As many as 175,469 voters of the Ludhiana West constituency will decide the fate of 14 candidates who are in the fray for the bypoll on Thursday. Voting will be held in 194 polling stations from 7 am to 6 pm. Divulging the details, district election officer (DEO) Himanshu Jain, who oversaw the dispatch of polling parties from Khalsa College for Women, said that there are 175,469 electors in the constituency, including 90,088 male, 85,371 female, and 10 third genders, who will exercise their right to franchise in the polls on June 19. He mentioned that around 776 employees were assigned duties for conducting the poll in a transparent manner, along with 194 polling parties dispatched to polling stations. He exhorted the entire election staff to perform their duties diligently so that voters can cast their votes smoothly and hassle-free. He stated that all of them have a huge responsibility on their shoulders to complete the whole exercise peacefully. He assured the polling parties of every kind of support in this process. The DEO also said that elaborate arrangements have been made to facilitate polling parties and voters in the polling stations. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like SBA Loans Take Too Long, Unless You Use This Method Lendio SBA Get Offer Undo Special arrangements, including tents, chairs, cold water, fans, wheelchairs, and ramps, have been made. Furthermore, 10 model polling booths, one pink polling station, one green polling station, and one polling station especially for PWD have been set up for the bypoll. Jain encouraged voters to set a new record of turnout by coming out in massive numbers to cast their votes on Election Day. Earlier, 194 polling parties were dispatched from Khalsa College for Women in GPS-fitted vehicles to their respective polling stations.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
How long can political lawn signs stay up after an election? A look at common rules
Political signs on private property — whether posted in a front yard or taped to a window — are a form of free expression protected under both the U.S. Constitution and the New Jersey Constitution. But local rules may still determine when, where and how those signs can be displayed. New Jersey saw plenty of lawn signs leading up to the primary election June 10. With the election over, you may be wondering how much longer you may see political signs around town. While towns cannot treat political signs differently than other types of signs, they are allowed to adopt 'content-neutral' regulations that apply uniformly. These include rules on the number, placement, size and lighting of signs, as long as they are tied to legitimate public concerns, such as preventing distractions for drivers. In most cases, municipalities cannot impose stricter rules just because a sign is political, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. But they can adopt general sign ordinances that are reasonable and applied equally. For example, a town can bar all illuminated signs if they pose a hazard but cannot ban only illuminated political signs. Similarly, ordinances that prohibit signs on public property are generally permissible. Courts in New Jersey have found that ordinances limiting political signs to a certain time period — such as only during an election season — may be unconstitutional. These types of restrictions are considered 'content-based' and often violate First Amendment protections. Many municipalities require political signs to be removed shortly after an election. A common standard is 10 days after Election Day, though timelines may vary. Signs for candidates who win primaries are typically permitted until seven days after the general election. Residents who believe a local ordinance violates their rights are encouraged to seek legal advice or contact civil liberties organizations. This article originally appeared on When do political signs need to be removed in NJ after an election?
