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Ranked Choice Voting: Filling Out Your Ballot

February 8, 2021
RCV

Starting this year, all citywide, borough president and City Council primaries will use ranked-choice voting, as well as special elections for any of those positions.

FACTS:

  • You can rank up to 5 candidates in order of preference, instead of choosing just one.
  • It won’t be used during the general election.
  • Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) allows you to rank up to 5 candidates on your ballot in order of preference.
  • Just like you rank your favorite TV series, you can rank the candidates - or not, it’s up to you. You can choose to vote for only one candidate as well. 
  • You can still vote for just one candidate if you prefer.

Why are we using Ranked Choice Voting?
New Yorkers elected to use Ranked Choice Voting in a 2019 ballot measure. It passed with 73.5% support.

Which elections will use Ranked Choice Voting?
NYC will use Ranked Choice Voting in primary and special elections for local offices: Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough President, and City Council.

ranked choice 3

How to fill out your ballot:

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, check out NYCFFB's Ranked Choice Voting FAQs