What to know about New York’s mayoral primary and ranked choice voting

Voters person already begun to formed their ballots successful New York City, wherever a closely-watched Democratic Party superior for the upcoming mayoral election has attracted attraction crossed the country.

Polls unfastened Tuesday pursuing 9 days of aboriginal voting that came to a adjacent Sunday.

The race, which is being led by Andrew Cuomo, a erstwhile politician and lad of a erstwhile politician promising constitution experience, and Zohran Mamdani, a young Democratic socialist authorities assembly subordinate who has promised to tackle cost-of-living issues, has underscored ongoing statement astir the aboriginal of the Democratic Party successful New York and beyond.

The victor of the Democratic superior is considered the beardown favourite to triumph the wide predetermination successful November, with the existent politician profoundly unpopular owed to scandals and allegations of corruption, and the Republican campaigner a long-shot successful the firmly Democratic-leaning city.

Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is simply a Democrat, announced earlier this twelvemonth helium was opting retired of the primaries to tally arsenic an independent.

The contention has besides brought attraction to the city’s ranked-choice voting system, which allows voters to fertile respective candidates successful presumption of penchant alternatively than casting their ballot for a azygous candidate.

What is the authorities of the contention arsenic voters caput to the polls, and what are the strengths and weaknesses of ranked prime voting? We instrumentality a speedy look astatine that and more.

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo addresses the media pursuing a code astatine an lawsuit for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers connected June 22, 2025, successful New York City [Alex Kent/Getty Images via AFP]

When does voting instrumentality place?

The New York City Democratic mayoral superior takes spot connected June 24, with polls unfastened from 6am to 9pm. Early voting took spot betwixt June 14 and June 22.

Who are the candidates?

Cuomo and Mamdani are cervix and cervix successful the polls, portion a fistful of further candidates are competing to pb the country’s largest metropolis arsenic well.

Cuomo, a 67-year-old centrist former governor from a New York governmental dynasty, is attempting a instrumentality to governmental beingness aft a study recovered that helium had sexually harassed astatine slightest 11 women during his clip arsenic governor, prompting wide calls for his resignation that helium yet succumbed to successful 2021.

The erstwhile politician has pitched himself arsenic an experienced fig astir susceptible of guiding the metropolis astatine a clip erstwhile it is facing greater scrutiny from the national authorities nether the medication of United States President Donald Trump implicit questions specified arsenic migration enforcement.

Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic socialist and authorities legislator with an migrant background, has tally a run that was astatine archetypal fixed debased likelihood of occurrence but has ticked steadily upwards arsenic the young lawmaker makes an unflinchingly progressive transportation to voters. He has promised to shingle up the city’s governmental constitution and institute policies specified arsenic a frost connected rent increases and escaped nationalist buses.

While Cuomo and Mamdani person attracted the astir nationalist attention, they are not the lone candidates running.

They see Comptroller Brad Lander; New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams; erstwhile Comptroller Scott Stringer; State Senator Jessica Ramos; State Senator Zellnor Myrie; Michael Blake, a governmental advisor and erstwhile authorities legislator; and Whitney Tilson, an investor.

Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani speaks during the New York City Democratic Mayoral Primary Debate astatine the John Jay College of Criminal Justice successful the Gerald W Lynch Theater connected June 12, 2025, successful New York City [Vincent Alaban/Pool via AFP]

Why has this contention been truthful notable?

Befitting New York’s presumption arsenic 1 of the world’s large cities, the contention for politician has included plentifulness of drama.

Cuomo’s attempted instrumentality to powerfulness aft a erstwhile autumn from grace arsenic governor, paired with Mamdani’s young and vibrant run with beardown appeals to the city’s pluralistic identity, has created a stark opposition betwixt competing visions for the city’s future.

Cuomo has been endorsed by centrist figures specified arsenic erstwhile President Bill Clinton, portion Mamdani has won endorsements from progressive figures specified arsenic Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Conflict successful the Middle East has besides loomed ample implicit the race. Cuomo, a steadfast protagonist of Israel, has promised to ace down connected anti-Semitism. Mamdani, an outspoken protagonist of Palestinian rights, has spoken astir receiving anti-Muslim decease threats during the campaign.

The Trump administration’s assertive attack to migration enforcement has besides been a flash point. City officials and candidates reacted with choler past week erstwhile national migration agents temporarily arrested Lander, the city’s comptroller, portion helium was escorting a antheral extracurricular of migration court.

What does the astir caller polling archer us?

Recent polls amusement a adjacent contention betwixt Mamdani and Cuomo.

An Emerson canvass released connected Monday shows Cuomo with 35 percent of the vote, Mamdani connected the upswing with 33 percent, Lander with 13 percent, and Adrienne Adams successful fourth, with 8 percent.

A erstwhile Emerson canvass successful precocious May showed Cuomo with 34 percent, Mamdani with 22 percent, Lander with 10 percent, and Adrienne Adams with 8 percent.

A June canvass by Marist shows Cuomo with 55 percent successful the last round, beating Mamdani with 45 percent, portion the Emerson canvass shows Mamdani with 52 percent successful the last circular to Cuomo’s 48 percent.

When volition we cognize the results?

Polls adjacent astatine 9pm connected Tuesday (01:00 GMT, Wednesday), and immoderate preliminary information should beryllium disposable wrong a fewer hours. But the last effect volition instrumentality longer to tabulate due to the fact that of the city’s ranked-choice voting system.

Ranked prime tabulation does not statesman until July 1, arsenic the metropolis waits for the accomplishment of each mail-in ballots. The authoritative effect volition beryllium certified connected July 15, but could beryllium known earlier.

What is ranked prime voting?

With ranked prime voting, radical fertile respective candidates successful presumption of penchant alternatively than selecting a azygous candidate.

While this is much analyzable than a accepted election, supporters reason that it allows voters to explicit their preferences without making an all-or-nothing determination with their vote.

In New York, voters fertile arsenic galore arsenic 5 candidates successful bid of their favourability. In the archetypal circular of vote-counting, lone archetypal choices are tallied. If 1 campaigner receives a wide bulk of much than 50 percent, they triumph the contention outright.

But if not, the campaigner who received the lowest fig of first-choice votes is dropped, and the votes of those who ranked them archetypal accrue to the second-choice prime connected their ballots.

That process continues until lone 2 candidates remain, with the 1 receiving the astir votes winning.

What are its strengths?

Advocates of ranked prime voting accidental that it allows radical to ballot for the campaigner that they similar the astir without worrying astir their chances of winning.

If you similar Mamdani and judge helium is the campaigner with the champion accidental of winning, but would similar Lander, for example, you could fertile Lander archetypal and Mamdani second.

This way, radical tin spell with the campaigner that they place with the astir powerfully without feeling similar they are “throwing their ballot away”: If your preferred campaigner is knocked out, your votes tin inactive accrue to the different candidates you person ranked and impact the result of the race.

Some besides marque the lawsuit that ranked prime makes it hard for a campaigner to triumph without immoderate grade of wide support, since candidates payment if they execute good not conscionable with their ain halfway of supporters but the supporters of respective different candidates arsenic well.

Absentee ballots beryllium wrong a sealed ballot container during aboriginal voting successful a superior predetermination connected June 14, 2023, successful the SoHo neighbourhood of New York City [Mary Altaffer/AP Photo]

What are its weaknesses?

One drawback of the strategy is its complexity. Even voters who person participated successful elections with ranked prime voting successful the past tin conflict to recognize the implications of their rankings, though the conception of picking a bid of candidates based connected penchant is elemental enough.

Some besides judge that the process is little transparent, since a machine is tasked with tabulating and redistributing votes successful each round, which besides means that it is much hard for accepted sources of predetermination updates, specified arsenic quality organisations, to travel developments.

Some errors besides occurred erstwhile ranked prime voting was archetypal utilized successful New York City successful 2021, adding disorder to the proceedings and bringing allegations that predetermination authorities were not decently prepared to instrumentality the caller system. Officials volition anticipation to debar akin mishaps this clip around.