Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Assembly Ranked-Choice Voting Hearing To Feature Roster Of Invitation-Only Witnesses
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Jul 19, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
David Cruz / Gothamist
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Jul 19, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
New York’s hottest club is the invitation-only State Assembly hearing on ranked-choice voting in downtown Brooklyn Monday morning. It will have everything: frustrated lawmakers, an unreleased roster of witnesses, a pre-hearing protest press conference, and maybe even some voters.
The event is being hosted by the chamber’s Election Law Chair, Assemblymember Latrice Walker, and was scheduled shortly after the first set of ranked-choice voting primary results the New York City Board of Elections released included more than 100,000 erroneous test ballots, which forced the agency to retract and update the information a day later.
While the primary election once again raised questions about the conduct of the city BOE, the first hearing to unpack what happened will focus on the voter-approved ranked-choice voting system and feature an unknown list of witnesses picked by the Assembly based on a yet to be disclosed criteria. Walker’s office did not respond to multiple requests from Gothamist / WNYC for a list of witnesses.
Walker has signaled skepticism about how the city implemented ranked-choice voting, telling Gothamist WNYC last month that the BOE was not ready for the new system, which allowed voters to pick up to five candidates in order of preference. In particular, she was critical of their use of new tabulation software, which was not approved until weeks before the election.
The BOE also refused offers of assistance from the company that developed the software just weeks before the election.
Supporters of ranked-choice voting plan to rally outside ahead of the hearing, which was moved from its originally scheduled location at 250 Broadway in Manhattan to the NAB Theater at City Tech in downtown Brooklyn. Among those expected to attend are Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas; City Council Member Antonio Reynoso, the new Democratic nominee for Brooklyn Borough president; and other City Council candidates and community-based organizations that support the new system.
Organizers point to exit polling conducted by Edison Research on behalf of Common Cause NY, a proponent of ranked-choice voting, which found that 95% of voters said RCV ballots were simple to complete and 83% of voters ranked at least two candidates on their ballots in the mayoral primary. They also point to the expected majority of women and people of color in the incoming City Council.
The hearing Monday will not be the only opportunity for lawmakers to hear from the public about how the June primaries were conducted. State Senator Zellnor Myrie has scheduled another series of hearings focused on how the Boards of Elections across the state operate. The first will be held at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn on Wednesday, July 28th.
Tagged
ranked choice voting
election 2021
Board of Elections
NYC Board of Elections
Brigid Bergin
Brigid Bergin is an award-winning senior reporter on the People and Power desk. She is fiercely committed to telling stories that help people engage and support democracy. In 2022, she hosted a live, ten-week call-in politics show ahead of the midterm elections called The People's Guide to Power. Brigid's reporting in 2017 included some of the first coverage of a political newcomer now known as AOC. In 2016, she broke the news of a voter purge in Brooklyn just days before New York’s presidential primary, triggering city, state and federal investigations. Brigid also guest hosts The Brian Lehrer Show and All Of It. She graduated from the University at Albany and the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-723-4719.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Police are looking for pickpockets who keep targeting this LES bar
At least two people are connected to four separate incidents at the Two Doors Down bar on the Lower East Side.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 15, 2026 at 2:57 p.m. ET
Citi Bike finishes expansion into 7 areas, including parts of North Bronx, Eastern Brooklyn
The bike-sharing service added 230 new docks over the last year.
By
Stephen Nessen
News
Citi Bike finishes expansion into 7 areas, including parts of North Bronx, Eastern Brooklyn
The bike-sharing service added 230 new docks over the last year.
By
Stephen Nessen
Why Mamdani’s name was mostly missing from debate for New York governor
By
Jimmy Vielkind
Manhattan DA charges woman with stealing $25K in immigration fraud scheme
By
Arya Sundaram
NYC lawmaker wants dedicated NYPD units to combat chaotic car meetups
By
Charles Lane
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .