Early voting began this week for New York City’s primary elections on June 27, where New Yorkers will get to use ranked choice voting (RCV) for the second time! All 51 City Council seats are up for grabs in districts that were redrawn following the 2020 Census; however, incumbents are heavily favored in most of these off-off-year elections with no citywide offices on the ballot. (There are competitive District Attorney races in the Bronx and Queens, but those will not use RCV because they are considered state rather than local offices.)

Voters will get the opportunity to rank their top five candidates in council primary elections. If a candidate does not receive over 50% of voters’ first choices, then an “instant runoff” takes place. The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and voters who ranked that candidate Number 1 will have their votes count for their next choice – a process that repeats until one candidate secures a majority.

The nation’s biggest city used RCV for the first time in 2021, replacing runoff elections that were notorious for their low turnout and high costs. New Yorkers have overwhelmingly supported this change, with the RCV ballot measure passing with almost 75% of votes in 2019. In the 2021 election, 95% of voters said that RCV was simple, while 87% of voters ranked multiple candidates in the Democratic mayoral primary.

Although many incumbents are unchallenged, there are a few highly contested elections across the city. Thirteen races – across both the Republican and Democratic primaries – have three or more candidates; in these contests, RCV will ensure the nomination of the candidate with the broadest and deepest support. In a majority-Democratic city, most Democratic primary winners will be unchallenged or strongly favored come November.

Some Key Races to Watch

Council District 1 (Lower Manhattan): Incumbent Christopher Marte faces three challengers. 

Council District 9 (Harlem): This race is wide open, after Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan exited the contest last month. Hoping to replace her is Yusef Salaam, a member of the Exonerated Five who was wrongfully imprisoned following the infamous Central Park jogger case;  Inez Dickens, a former Council Member who has received high-profile endorsements including from Mayor Eric Adams; and Al Taylor, a state Assemblymember since 2017. 

Council District 43 (Southern Brooklyn): While many districts look similar following the City’s redistricting process, this is a brand-new Asian-majority district. Both parties have competitive primaries – though only the Democratic primary will be impacted by RCV, as it has three candidates. 

Ranked Choice Voting in Action 

Ranked choice voting encourages candidates to campaign more positively and find common ground with their opponents – sometimes explicitly in the form of “cross-endorsements,” which occur when candidates encourage voters to rank them 1st and another candidate 2nd. 

In District 1, Susan Lee and Ursila Jung have urged supporters to rank one another as their second choice, with Lee stating, “Ursila and I agree on many issues… I urge you to rank me #1 and Ursila #2.” 

In District 9, Salaam and Taylor have done the same. In a recent press conference, Salaam noted: “I want you all to vote me first, and I want you all who represent me to vote my second — Assemblyman Al Taylor. We are together in so many things.” Cross-endorsements allow similar candidates to stay in the race – instead of having to drop out to avoid splitting the vote. More information about cross-endorsements is available in this post from FairVote Action. 

“Cross-endorsing” is only one campaign tactic used in RCV contests. Regardless of approach, RCV encourages candidates to connect with more constituents in order to build a majority coalition. That coalition, of course, may include voters’ second and third choices. Fundamentally, RCV gives voters better choices and a greater voice at the ballot box. 

Results Timeline and Administration

New Yorkers can expect unofficial first-choice results on election night, RCV results the following week (after all absentee ballots are returned), and final results on July 11. Expect the results to follow the same trend as any single-choice election: If it’s a blowout, we’ll have a good sense on election night. If it’s close, we’ll need to wait until all the votes are counted. New York law allows absentee ballots to be received within seven days of Election Day. 

Nationally, the best practice is to report preliminary RCV results as soon as possible; most cities report preliminary RCV results within 24 hours. The actual tabulation takes just seconds and New York City could release unofficial, preliminary RCV results on election night.

For more election details, New York City’s website offers information on everything from early voting and polling sites to detailed RCV instructions; our partner Common Cause New York also has extensive information about RCV in the Big Apple. 

We’re thrilled to see RCV used once again in New York City, and urge all New Yorkers to turn out and make their voices heard!