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NY candidates can appear on a ballot multiple times, no matter what Elon Musk says
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Nov 4, 2025
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LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Nov 4, 2025
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A candidate can appear on a New York ballot more than once — no matter what Elon Musk is saying on social media.
The practice of “electoral fusion” or “fusion voting” is rarer than it once was in the United States, but remains legal and common in New York, allowing candidates to run on multiple party lines simultaneously. That’s why Zohran Mamdani is found under the Democrat and Working Families Party lines, and Curtis Sliwa appears under the Republican and Protect Animals party lines this election.
The practice lets residents vote for major-party candidates while still supporting third parties that also list the same candidates as their nominees. In New York, that’s critical to keeping third parties on the ballot for future elections — because they need to get about 130,000 votes during gubernatorial or presidential elections to appear on future ballots.
On Tuesday, Musk — a billionaire from Texas by way of South Africa who has endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the race — made misleading statements about the city’s ballots on social media:
“The New York City ballot form is a scam!” Musk posted on X, the website that he owns. “No ID is required. Other mayoral candidates appear twice. Cuomo’s name is last in bottom right.”
The makeup of the ballot is not a “scam” under state law, and poll workers are forbidden from asking for ID.
Mamdani made a point of voting for himself on the Working Families line, as do many candidates supported by the party — in part because Cuomo, as governor, tried to eradicate the progressive line on the ballot.
In 2019 Cuomo backed changes to New York’s voting regulations in what was broadly seen as an attempt to weaken the Working Families Party — which established a requirement that a party receive about 130,000 votes during a gubernatorial or presidential election to remain on future ballots. The WFP met that minimum in both the 2022 gubernatorial race and 2024 presidential election.
Musk also shared a post by Polymarket, a platform where users bet on outcomes on a range of topics using cryptocurrency. It characterized Mamdani’s appearance twice on the ballot as “breaking” news, while predicting a 92% chance for him to win the election. Other posters joined the hysterics on the platform, calling the multiple appearances “dirty politics,” or “insane.”
Other commenters told Musk fusion voting is normal in New York. They also clarified why Cuomo appears where he does: Under the New York City Board of Elections guidelines, independent candidates like Cuomo appear on the ballot in the order they file.
Both President Donald Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on multiple party lines in New York during last year’s general presidential election.
Cuomo himself appeared on four different party lines when he ran for governor in 2018.
Tagged
Politics
new york city
new york state
Catalina Gonella
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