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What to know about ranked-choice voting in NYC's primary election this month
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Jun 9, 2025
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David Dee Delgado / AFP
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Jun 9, 2025
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Most New York City voters’ second experience with ranked-choice voting is only weeks away.
The election method – which will determine the winner of the Democratic mayoral primary on June 24, as well as other races – is intended to give voters more choice at the ballot box and discourage negative campaigns by politicians. (Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa is the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee.)
But ranked-choice remains relatively novel to many New Yorkers. Below is a rundown of the things to do – and not to do – when filling out your ranked-choice ballot.
How do I fill out the ranked-choice ballot?
In races including the New York City mayoral primary, voters can pick up to five candidates in order of preference. Ballots require you to fill in ovals, like on a standardized test. If you are a registered Democrat, the names of 11 mayoral candidates will appear on the ballot.
Fill in the oval in the column that corresponds with how you want to rank each candidate.
Do I have to pick candidates for all five spots?
No, you should only fill in the oval for candidates that you support. However, your vote will go further if you fill out the ballot completely. If you only choose two candidates, and they are both eliminated, then your ballot would be exhausted early in the ranked-tally process.
If I really dislike a candidate, should I rank that person last?
If there is a candidate you oppose, do not fill out the oval next to their name at all. By including that candidate anywhere on your ballot, you could be helping that person win if your other choices are eliminated. So if you want to avoid a certain candidate being elected, do not put that person anywhere on your ballot.
What if I want to write in a candidate?
Under the list of candidates, there is an option to write in a name of your choice – don’t forget to also fill out your write-in candidate’s oval.
What if I only like one candidate — can I vote for someone more than once?
No. You can only rank a candidate once on the ballot. If you fill out a ballot with the same candidate for every rank, it will only be counted once.
Can I pick more than one candidate for the same rank?
Nope. Pick one candidate per column, or you run the risk of spoiling your ballot.
Early voting in the ranked choice primary starts June 14.
Board of Elections
Will every contest on the ballot use ranked-choice voting?
Only primary and special elections for city offices use ranked-choice voting. In the upcoming primary election, there will be ranked-choice options for mayor, city comptroller, public advocate, borough president and City Council.
Other party primaries for state offices like district attorney or judicial contests will not use ranked-choice voting.
How are the ranked-choice ballots tallied?
After the polls close at 9 p.m. on June 24, the Board of Elections will release unofficial election night returns based on the first choice on all ballots cast during early voting, Election Day and the absentee ballots through the previous Friday.
If no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote, then the board will conduct a ranked-choice tally one-week later on Tuesday, July 1.
The ranked-choice tally eliminates candidates with the fewest first place votes and redistributes those ballots to the remaining candidates. In 2021, Eric Adams was the leader on primary night, followed by Maya Wiley and Kathryn Garcia. One week later, it took eight rounds of tallies to narrow the field down to two candidates, with Adams leading a reshuffled leaderboard over Garcia.
When will we know the final results?
Depending on the margins, candidates are likely to declare victory as early as possible.
It’s likely we will know the results of citywide contests on July 1 after the first ranked-choice tally, unless they’re unusually close.
In 2021, the Board of Elections certified election results four weeks after the primary for all but two City Council races that went to manual recounts.
Election officials say they will only certify the results when they finish counting every valid ballot, including absentee, affidavit and military ballots.
“ We expect a free and fair election with [ranked-choice] reporting July 1 until we certify the election later in the month,” said Vincent Ignizio, the board’s deputy chief.
Why are we using ranked-choice voting?
In 2019, voters approved a change to the City Charter to make ranked-choice voting the system used for city primaries and special elections. The goal was to encourage candidates to focus on issues that matter to voters, reduce the amount of negative campaigning and ensure the winner had support from a majority of voters.
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new york city
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.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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