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Pepperoni Dominates NYC's Ranked Choice Pizza Topping Vote
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 15, 2021
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NYC Mayor's Office
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 15, 2021
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Last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio tried to break down how ranked choice voting works in the most relatable terms possible: by demonstrating ranked choice voting on pizza toppings. It was in all honesty a pretty fun idea, one which allowed de Blasio be at his most goofy and likable. And today, he unveiled the results of that vote: pepperoni absolutely crushed the other toppings.
Altogether, over 20,000 people voted on the toppings, which culminated in de Blasio announcing the winner by performatively munching on a slice topped with pepperoni at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
"I'll tell you what it feels like: mmm...mmm...MMM...ranked choice voting. Mmm. I didn't know it would be this delicious," de Blasio said. "When you think about ranked choice voting, think about this."
Listen, if I had to spend my morning watching de Blasio scarf down a slice while moaning with erotic zeal, you have to as well.
Despite the fact de Blasio ranked green peppers first on his ballot, it really was a landslide victory for pepperoni, which had almost three times the amount of votes compared to runners-up sausage and mushrooms. Sitting at the bottom of the list was clams; pineapple, de Blasio's least-favorite topping, came right in the middle of the pack.
Chief Democracy Officer Laura Wood joined in during the press conference to help explain how votes were distributed between the toppings round by round, and Council Member Justin Brannan also tried to boost enthusiasm about it.
"There's some folks who are not fans of it, or skeptical about it, but [ranked choice] is the law of the land," Brannan said. "We make light of it by talking about pizza and stuff to try to get folks to understand how this works, but don't be confused by it, don't be intimated by it, understand what it means and educated yourself before you go to vote."
You can see all that play out in the video below.
For more on ranked choice voting, you can revisit our practice runs with fictional NYC mayors and favorite Big Apple books. And early voting runs through June 20th, and the primary is on June 22nd.
Tagged
voting
pepperoni
mayor bill de blasio
pizza
election 2021
ranked choice voting
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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