NYC Ranked-Choice Voting Explained

New York City's mayoral primary election uses ranked-choice voting (RCV), allowing voters to rank their top five candidates. This system adds complexity but can impact the final results significantly.

How Ranked-Choice Voting Works

<img src="https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/bb86122d-c419-4351-af04-9e2ff39aaff4/mayor-primary-gty-gmh-250617_1750183926687_hpMain.jpg" alt="People voting in the NYC Primary elections">

1. Rank your top five: Voters rank up to five candidates in order of preference.
2. 50% threshold: If a candidate receives over 50% of first-choice votes, they win outright.
3. Elimination rounds: If no candidate reaches 50%, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Second-choice votes from those who picked the eliminated candidate are then tallied.
4. Repeat until a winner: This process continues until one candidate has a majority.

Strategic Alliances & Cross-Endorsements

<img src="https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/5ad36de5-3a3f-486f-95b8-18cca92946a7/Zohran-Mamdani-ap-gmh-250617_1750183926124_hpMain.jpg" alt="Zohran Mamdani at a mayoral debate"> <img src="https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/be4a9a3f-c191-4cae-8fcb-ac89b9f63769/brad-lander-1--gty-gmh-250617_1750183927197_hpMain.jpg" alt="Brad Lander at a press conference">

RCV has led to unusual alliances. For example, Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander cross-endorsed each other to prevent Andrew Cuomo from winning. The New York Working Families Party also endorsed multiple candidates and specified ranking order.

<img src="https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/1a39c531-908a-4879-a3fc-f54b26326eb6/andrew-cuomo-gty-gmh-250617_1750183927744_hpMain.jpg" alt="Andrew Cuomo at a rally">

Cuomo, however, has received endorsements from Jessica Ramos and Whitney Tilson. These strategic maneuvers highlight RCV's impact on campaign strategies.

Delayed Results

While the primary is on June 24th, the final results, due to RCV's complex tabulation process, won't be available until July 1st. Preliminary first-choice results will be announced on June 24th.