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Represent NYC: Election Coverage

Ranked Choice Voting

January 5, 2021
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New York City will use Rank Choice Voting for Primary and Special Elections for the following NYC municipal offices in 2021:

  • MAYOR
  • PUBLIC ADVOCATE
  • COMPTROLLER
  • BOROUGH PRESIDENT
  • CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS

It’s the first time the city will implement ranked-choice voting for municipal primaries and special elections.

WHAT ELECTION OFFICES ARE NOT USING RANKED-CHOICE VOTING?

The following elections are not subject to ranked-choice voting as this applies just to NYC elections at this time:

  • President, Governor
  • US Senate
  • Surrogate
  • Supreme Court Judges
  • Civil Court Judges
  • District Attorney
  • Congress
  • State Senate
  • Assembly

WHAT IS RANKED CHOICE VOTING?  

Voters can rank up to five candidates in order of preference, instead of casting a vote for just one. 

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DO I HAVE TO RANK ALL THE CANDIDATES?

 No, you can rank up to 5 but you can chose to rank less candidates. You can also only choose one candidate. 

HOW DOES IT WORK?

If a candidate gets a majority of votes (at least 50%) they are declared the winner.

If no candidate gets a majority of the vote,

  • the last place candidate is eliminated, and their votes are parceled out to the voter’s second choice,
  • A new tally is conducted to determine whether any candidate has won a majority of the adjusted votes.
  • The process is repeated until a candidate wins an outright majority and is declared the winner.

UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES CAN MY FIRST CHOICE BE ELIMINATED?

If no candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, the last-place candidate is eliminated. If your first choice is eliminated, your next choice will be counted, and so on. The process of elimination continues until there is a winner.

HOW DO I FILL OUT MY BALLOT?

You can rank up to 5 candidates in order of preference.

  • Pick your first-choice candidate and fill in the oval next to their name under the 1st column
  • If you have a second-choice candidate, fill in the oval next to their name under the 2nd column
  • You can choose to rank up to 5 candidates
  • You can still vote for just one candidate and leave the other columns blank
  • You can only choose one candidate for each column
  • You cannot rank the same candidate more than once

Rank up to 5 candidates in order of preference.

An example of a correctly marked RCV grid ballot where candidate A through D appears in rows and 1 through 5 appears in columns. Ovals are marked as follows: Candidate B is ranked 1, Candidate C is ranked 2, Candidate A is ranked 3, Candidates E is ranked 4, and Candidate D is ranked 5.s

  1. Pick your first-choice candidate and completely fill in the oval next to their name under the 1st column.
  2. If you have a second-choice candidate, fill in the oval next to their name under the 2nd column.
  3. You can rank up to 5 candidates. You can still choose to vote for only one candidate if you prefer. Ranking other candidates does not harm your first choice.

Do not rank a candidate more than once. If you do, only your top ranking for them will count.

An example of an incorrectly marked RCV grid ballot where five candidates are running. The voter who completed this ballot ranked Candidate B for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. This ballot marking error is called Duplicate Ranking.

Do not give multiple candidates the same ranking. If you choose more than one candidate as your first choice, your ballot will not be valid.

An example of an incorrectly marked RCV grid ballot where five candidates are running. The voter who completed this ballot ranked both Candidate B and Candidate C as 1. This ballot marking error is called Overvoting.

How your ballot will be counted

If a candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win the election.

Bar chart displaying the results of first-choice vote totals. Candidate A is shown in green and has 16 percent of the vote. Candidate B is shown in purple and has 54 percent. Candidate C is shown in blue and has 22 percent. Candidate D is shown in orange and has 8 percent. Candidate B is the winner of this election because they have 54 percent of first-choice votes.

If no candidate earns more than 50% of first-choice votes, then counting will continue in rounds.

On left: A correctly marked RCV grid ballot where candidate A through D appears in rows and number 1 through 5 appears in columns. Candidate D is ranked 1, Candidate C is ranked 2, Candidate B is ranked 3, and Candidate A is ranked 4. The oval for Candidate D who is ranked 1 is darker than the other ovals. On right: Bar chart displaying the results of first-choice vote totals. Candidate A is shown in green and has 27 percent of percent of first-choice votes. Candidate B is shown in purple and has 39 percent. Candidate C is shown in blue and has 22 percent. Candidate D is shown in orange and has 12 percent. Candidate D has the fewest votes in this round. one candidate eliminated, votes redistributed: On left: A correctly marked RCV grid ballot where candidate A through D appears in rows and number 1 through 5 appears in columns. Candidate D is ranked 1, Candidate C is ranked 2, Candidate B is ranked 3, and Candidate A is ranked 4. Candidate D's name is grayed out because they were eliminated in the last round. The oval for Candidate C who is ranked 2 is darker than the other ovals. On right: Bar chart displaying the results of vote after Round 1. Candidate A is shown in green and has 27 percent of first-choice votes. Candidate B is shown in purple and has 39 percent. Candidate C is shown in blue and has 22 percent. Candidate D has 12 percent, their entire bar and name is grayed out and arrows point from Candidate D to the three remaining candidate's bars. The ballots for the 12 percent of voters whose top choice in this round was Candidate D will move to the next-highest ranked candidate on their ballots.

Each round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. If your top-choice candidate is eliminated, your vote goes to the next highest ranked candidate on your ballot.

On left: A correctly marked RCV grid ballot where candidate A through D appears in rows and number 1 through 5 appears in columns. Candidate C is ranked 2, Candidate B is ranked 3, and Candidate A is ranked 4. Candidate D's name is grayed out because they were eliminated in the last round. The oval for Candidate C who is ranked 2 is darker than the other ovals. On right: Bar chart displaying the results of vote after Round 1. Candidate A is shown in green and has 27 percent of first-choice votes plus 4 percent of Candidate D's orange votes to total 31 percent. Candidate B is shown in purple and has 39 percent of first-choice votes plus 6 percent of Candidate D's orange votes to total 45 percent. Candidate C is shown in blue and has 22 percent of first-choice votes plus 2 percent of Candidate D's orange votes to total 24 percent. Candidate D's bar and name is grayed out because they are no longer active.

This process continues until there are only 2 candidates left. The candidate with the most votes wins!

On left: A correctly marked RCV grid ballot where candidate A through D appears in rows and number 1 through 5 appears in columns. Candidate B is ranked 3 and Candidate A is ranked 4. Candidate C and Candidates D's names are grayed out because they were eliminated in previous rounds. The oval for Candidate B who is ranked 3 is darker than the other ovals. On right: Bar chart displaying the results of vote after Round 2. Candidate A is shown in green and has 27 percent of first-choice votes plus 4 percent of Candidate D's orange votes to total 31 percent. Candidate B is shown in purple and has 39 percent of first-choice votes plus 6 percent of Candidate D's orange votes to total 45 percent. Candidate C's entire bar and name is grayed out, and arrows point from Candidate C to the other two remaining candidate's bars. The ballots for the 24 percent of voters whose top choice in this round was Candidate C will move to the next-highest ranked candidate on their ballots. Candidate D's bar and name is grayed out because they are no longer active.

What are the benefits of Ranked Choice Voting?

Ranked Choice Voting gives you more say in who gets elected. Even if your top choice candidate does not win, you can still help choose who does.

More civility and less negative campaigning. Candidates who are not your top choice still need your support as your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th choice. This makes them more likely to appeal to a wider audience.

More diverse and representative candidates win elections. Cities that have implemented Ranked Choice Voting have elected more women and more women of color, making their elected officials more representative of their communities.

For more information, you can check out NYC Campaign Finance Boards' FAQs