Table of Contents
General Information
New York City uses ranked choice voting for the primary elections for city offices. This means that you can rank up to 5 of your preferred candidates for each office: mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president, and city council.
Key Dates & Polling Location
Early voting: Saturday, June 14th, 2025 - Sunday, June 22nd, 2025
General election: Tuesday, June 24th, 2025
Find my polling location: Vote NYC
Visit OpenCitizen's updated: Voter Resources Page
Ranked Choice Voting: Explained
New York City uses ranked choice voting for primary elections for city offices. This means you can rank up to 5 candidates in order of preference for each position: mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president, and city council.
Unlike traditional voting where you can only choose one candidate, ranked choice voting lets voters express their full preferences. Instead of strategically voting for who you think might win, you can vote for your true favorite candidates. If your top choice is eliminated, your vote transfers to your next choice, like water flowing to the next level.
Ranked Choice Voting - Sample Ballot
In ranked choice voting, a candidate needs to receive more than 50% of votes to win. If no candidate reaches this threshold initially, votes are redistributed through multiple rounds until someone does.
Here's how the process works:
Voters rank up to 5 candidates in order of preference on their ballot.
First choice votes are counted for all candidates.
If any candidate receives more than 50% of first choice votes, they win outright.
If no candidate has a majority:
The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.
Voters who ranked the eliminated candidate first have their vote go to their second choice.
This process repeats, with the lowest candidate being eliminated in each round.
Votes transfer to voters' next available choice.
Rounds continue until a candidate passes 50%.
The Benefits of Ranked Choice Voting
You can vote for your true favorite candidate, regardless of their popularity or chances of winning
Your vote remains meaningful even if your top choice is eliminated, as it transfers to your next preferred candidate
Voters can express their honest preferences rather than voting strategically for perceived frontrunners
Candidates run more positive campaigns to appeal to voters as second and third choices
Winners tend to be consensus builders who can gain broad support across different groups
More people vote because they feel their voice matters more in the final outcome
A wider range of candidates can run without fear of being labeled a "spoiler" candidate by "splitting the vote".
External Resources & Explanations
(NYC Votes)
Video Explanation
A Visual and Interactive Explanation
Ranked Choice Voting FAQ
Enjoying this publication?
Support out work by upgrading to a paid subscription!
