Latest news with #rankedchoicevoting
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
When will we know the NYC mayoral primary election winner?
New York City voters are casting their ballots in the primary election for a Democratic mayoral nominee, and many are wondering when we will know who won -- and how ranked choice voting will impact the results, and their timing. Early voting wraps up this weekend, and Election Day is next Tuesday, June 24. Are we going to get results on primary night? We will see unofficial first choice results after polls close at 9 p.m., but that's not the end of the story, considering ranked choice voting. Those unofficial first choice results will include those marked as first choice from early voting, Election Day, and valid mail-in ballots. If, however, no candidate goes over 50% of the vote - and considering the large number of candidates running in this race, that seems very likely - we will then move into ranked choice elimination rounds. Under the system, the candidate who got the fewest first-round votes will then be eliminated, and voters who ranked that candidate first on their ballots will then have their second choice candidate counted. That process will then repeat until one candidate exceeds 50% of the vote. So when will we get a clear picture of the winner? We will likely start to get a clearer picture of the winner before official results are certified. Preliminary, non-certified results will come out a week after the election. We can then expect weekly reports, as elimination rounds are conducted. The entire process could take up to several weeks. In the last mayoral primary -- the first citywide election with ranked choice voting -- the final results were certified nearly a month after the election.. At a certain point, a presumed winner may start to emerge. For example, if a candidate is approaching 50% of the vote, and the gap between that candidate's unofficial numbers and their nearest competitor is greater than the number of ballots still needing to be counted, then that person will almost certainly become the winner. The final, certified results still won't come out until all ballots are counted, including early voting, mail-in, absentee, military, affidavit and emergency ballots.
Vogue
3 days ago
- Politics
- Vogue
Confused About Ranked Choice Voting? Here's Everything You Need to Know Ahead of New York City's Mayoral Primary
The New York City mayoral race was infused with new drama this week when Brad Lander, the city's comptroller since 2022 and a candidate for mayor, was apprehended by ICE agents in a downtown courthouse. Lander—who was attempting to protect a migrant from arrest—is one of a number of mayoral candidates who have spoken out against the Trump administration's sweeping deportations; Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and City Council speaker Adrienne Adams have also pledged to protect immigrants should they be elected mayor. Attendance at anti-ICE protests like last weekend's 'No Kings' rallies proved that standing up for marginalized communities is very much on New Yorkers' minds this year—though some are unsure how best to navigate ranked choice voting, the election system in place during the mayoral primary. Luckily, though, all it takes is a little advance research to make heading to the polls as simple a process as picking up a coffee to go. Below, find everything you need to know about ranked choice voting as it pertains to New York City's upcoming primary, set for Tuesday, June 24: What is ranked choice voting? According to the nonpartisan, nonprofit Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, ranked choice voting is 'an election method in which voters rank candidates for an office in order of their preference (first choice, second choice, third choice, and so on).' Ranked choice voting is also known as instant runoff voting (IRV). When and where did ranked choice voting begin? The first trial runs of ranked choice voting were held in Denmark in the 1850s, after which the process made its way to Australia for legislative elections in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The first American city to use ranked choice voting for a city council election was Ashtabula, Ohio, in 1915, while the history of ranked choice voting in New York stretches back to 1936. That year, New York City adopted the multi-winner form for their city council and school board elections, spurring another 11 cities to adopt ranked choice voting soon after. How does ranked choice voting work? According to the NYC Board of Elections, voters can rank up to five candidates in order of preference. They are not obligated to rank any particular number of candidates, meaning it's possible to rank just one strong favorite. If a candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, that candidate wins; if no candidate earns more than 50% of first-choice votes, then the counting continues in rounds. What's the advantage of ranked choice voting? As the American electoral system has grown increasingly fractured in recent years, problems like vote splitting (or, in other words, a third-party or minor candidate pulling votes from a major candidate on the same side of the political spectrum) have become more common. With ranked choice voting, voters 'know that if their first choice doesn't win, their vote automatically counts for their next choice instead,' the nonpartisan organization FairVote explains, which 'frees [them] from worrying about how others will vote and which candidates are more or less likely to win.' If I really hate a candidate, should I rank them fifth or not rank them at all? It's best to simply not rank a candidate you detest at all, given that they could end up winning your vote if your top four candidates are counted out of the race.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
New York City might elect a truly progressive mayor – thanks to ranked-choice voting
With a week left until New York's Democratic mayoral primary, one might have thought that the former governor Andrew Cuomo would be measuring the drapes at Gracie Mansion. Real estate developers, corporations like Doordash, a smattering of billionaires and even Billy Joel have shoveled cash into his campaign, with his Super Pac spending more money than any other outside force in the city's political history. This is on top of his entering the race with major name recognition advantage, amounting to a 20- or 30-point lead as recently as May. But according to a new poll, Zohran Mamdani – the insurgent state assemblyman and democratic socialist whom the Nation recently co-endorsed along with fellow mayoral candidate and New York City comptroller Brad Lander – has pulled ahead of Cuomo for the first time. And while Mamdani's campaign deserves credit for offering a clear, inspiring, progressive message, the fact that he is competitive can also be partly credited to New York City's ranked-choice voting (RCV) system. It's a winning system for candidates who would otherwise be sidelined or would cannibalize each other's support – and for voters who can finally cast their ballots based on policy rather than pragmatism. America's politics have long been dominated (or diluted) by first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting. In it, citizens cast their ballot for one candidate, and whoever receives the most votes wins. Straightforward as it seems, this method forces an either/or choice, often resulting in voters deciding between the lesser of two evils. Not only does this reinforce a two-party duopoly in general elections, but it also incentivizes a binary choice between the two leading candidates in primaries. For the candidates themselves, the system encourages scorched-earth campaigns that divide parties and inflame the narcissism of small differences. The progressive senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren came into the 2020 Democratic presidential primary as allies with much more in common ideologically than their centrist opponents. But there was no electoral incentive for either of them to form an alliance with the other. Instead, they fought to consolidate a minority faction within the party, and got mired in a grisly and public feud. The mudslinging did leave one person standing – Joe Biden. In contrast, RCV makes it possible for dark horse candidates to work together. After Mamdani's campaign reached the fundraising limit, he urged his supporters to donate to a fellow anti-Cuomo candidate, Adrienne Adams. Adams, in turn, has maintained a focus on criticizing Cuomo, even deleting a tweet that was perceived as a swipe at Mamdani. These contenders are making it clear they truly believe – as the Nation's editorial board wrote in our endorsement – New Yorkers deserve better than Andrew Cuomo. Critics of ranked-choice voting argue it's too confusing, but successful implementations of the system in other jurisdictions suggest otherwise. In Alaska's 2022 congressional special election, the first statewide RCV election there, 85% of people who cast their ballots said they found the method to be simple. It also enabled the Democrat Mary Peltola to fend off an extremist challenge from Sarah Palin. Maine has also seen promising results from RCV, with 60% of its voters favoring the system. Cities like Minneapolis and Cambridge, Massachusetts, have enjoyed higher turnout after the implementation of RCV. But RCV is only as effective as its participants make it. Ahead of New York City's mayoral primary in 2021, I wrote a column expressing high hopes for how the debut of RCV could reshape the city's politics. But that race became chaotic for other reasons. Scott Stringer and Dianne Morales's campaigns collapsed. Advocacy groups had to un-endorse and re-endorse – in some cases, multiple times. There was a progressive effort to coalesce around Maya Wiley, including a belated endorsement from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Meanwhile, pragmatists who felt Eric Adams and Andrew Yang lacked substance turned to the sanitation commissioner, Kathryn Garcia. If Wiley and Garcia had cross-endorsed, one of them might have defeated Adams. Instead, Adams won the primary in the final round by just over 7,000 votes. This time, the mayoral candidates seem to have learned. On Friday, Mamdani and Lander cross-endorsed each other, encouraging their supporters to rank the other second. Mamdani explained the decision with a refreshing mix of idealism and realism: 'This is the necessary step to ensure that we're not just serving our own campaigns – we're serving the city at large.' This was followed by another cross-endorsement, between Mamdani and former assemblyman Michael Blake, on Monday. And the national progressive movement is much more united than it was in 2021, with both Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders endorsing Mamdani in the home stretch this time. By treating each other like allies rather than adversaries, the anti-Cuomo coalition might just prevail. If anything, it is the establishment wing of the New York Democratic party that is struggling to coalesce – as evinced by the New York Times' non-endorsement endorsement that, if you squint, could be perceived as encouraging New Yorkers to support Cuomo, Lander, hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson, or flee the city. The Nation has a long history of covering New York's mayoral races. Although no New York mayor has been elected to higher office since 1869 – just four years after the magazine was founded – the office has long held fascinating implications for American progressivism. Fiorello La Guardia, whom Mamdani and Lander have both named as the greatest mayor in the city's history, took office at the height of the Great Depression and led the city through the second world war. Over 12 years of cascading crises, he transformed the city with a bold vision characterized by expanding public housing and public spaces, curbing corruption, and unflinchingly supporting the reforms of the New Deal. Now, nearly a century later, New Yorkers have an opportunity to bring the city into a new era once again. And ordinarily, making that kind of change possible would require making a tough choice. But if it happens this time, it will be because of a ranked choice. Katrina vanden Heuvel is editorial director and publisher of the Nation, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a contributor to the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times
CBS News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
How and when to vote early in NYC mayoral primary election
The New York City mayoral race is heading to the polls for the June 2025 primary election. Early voting starts Saturday, June 14 ahead of Election Day on June 24. Mayor Eric Adams is running for reelection as an independent this time around, while 11 Democratic candidates are vying to replace him in a crowded primary. CLICK HERE for interviews with the leading contenders and where they stand on the issues. Reminder, the primary election will once again use ranked choice voting. CLICK HERE for a refresher on how it works. NYC voter registration deadline The voter registration deadline for the June primaries is Saturday, June 14. You must be registered as either a Democrat or Republican in order to vote in the primaries. To start, check your voter registration status online here and make sure it's up to date. If you aren't registered, you can complete the process online or print a form to submit to your county. You can also call 1-800-FOR-VOTE (1-800-367-8683) to request a voter application. To register online, you must be a U.S. citizen and resident of your county, city or village for 30 days before the election. New York allows 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds to pre-register, but they have to wait until they're 18 to vote. When does early voting start and end in NYC? New York City is holding nine days of early voting, from Saturday, June 14 through Sunday, June 22. Polls will be open the following hours: Saturday, June 14, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 15, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, June 16, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 19, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, June 20, 2025 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 21, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 22, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no voting on Monday, June 23. Polls will then open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24 for Election Day. Early voting sites can be different from Election Day locations, so be sure to find yours ahead of time online here. What to know about the race for mayor of NYC The 11 Democratic candidates are New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Dr. Selma Bartholomew, former state assemblyman Michael Blake, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, Paperboy Love Prince, state Sen. Jessica Ramos, former city comptroller Scott Stringer and former hedge fund executive Whitney Tilson. Mayor Adams has avoided the crowded Democratic field by running as an independent. By doing so, he bypasses the primaries and will take on the Democratic and Republican nominees in the November general election. Jim Walden, former assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, is also running as an independent, and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa is running unopposed on the Republican ticket. Cuomo has also said he will run on both the Democratic and Independent tickets, so he will be on the ballot in November, whether he wins the Democratic primary or not. Mamdani is also likely to appear on the November ballot for the Working Families Party. Other citywide elections on the Democratic primary ballot include New York City public advocate and comptroller. contributed to this report.
CBS News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
How NYC's ranked choice voting works for the mayoral primary election
New York City's mayoral election for the June 2025 primary once again employs ranked choice voting. Early voting begins Saturday, June 14 and will be held for nine days ahead of Election Day on June 24. Mayor Eric Adams is running for reelection as an independent, while a whopping 11 candidates are competing in a crowded Democratic primary. CLICK HERE for interviews with the leading contenders and where they stand on the issues. What is NYC ranked choice voting? Ranked choice voting, also known as instant runoff voting, allows voters to rank the candidates from their first to fifth choice. Advocates say it gives more diverse candidates a chance in normally combative elections. Back in 2019, more than 73% of New Yorkers voted in favor of ranked choice voting. The city then launched a $15 million campaign to educate voters about the new system. Ranked choice voting was first rolled out in February 2021 for a special election in Queens before taking effect for the citywide elections later that year. Then-Mayor Bill de Blasio famously asked New Yorkers to practice by ranking their favorite pizza toppings, and later announced pepperoni took home top honors with about 45% of the votes. How does NYC ranked choice voting work? Voters will rank their top five choices in order of preference. You do not have to rank all five, you can rank as many or as few as you like. If you only want to vote for one, then leave the other columns blank. All first-choice votes are counted first. If a candidate receives more than 50% of the first-choice votes, they win. If no candidate receives more than 50%, counting will continue in rounds. At the end of each round, the last-place candidate will be eliminated. Voters who chose that candidate will now have their vote counted for their next choice. Second-choice votes are only counted if your first-choice is eliminated. If both your first and second choices are eliminated, your vote is counted for your third-choice, and so on. This process continues until there are two candidates left, and the candidate with the most votes wins. The idea is to prevent a costly run-off election by having voters make their order of choices clear in the first place. Ranked choice voting can also create some unusual alliances where candidates, parties and other prominent figures offer guidance to voters about how they should rank their choices. When will we know the election results? The first unofficial election results will be posted when polls close on Election Day. These include first-choice votes from early voting, Election Day and valid mail ballots. Then, ranked choice elimination rounds will be conducted, and reports will be released each week until the results are certified. Officials say the results will not be certified until all ballots are counted, including early mail, absentee, military, affidavit and emergency. An exit poll after the 2021 primary elections showed 95% of voters found the ballot simple to fill out, and 75% said they wanted to use ranked choice voting again. The state Assembly later met to discuss what did and did not work, pointing to some confusion and the long wait for the results. In that mayoral primary, the final results were certified nearly a month after the election. Then-Democratic nominee Eric Adams said he supported the system but questioned the rollout.
