The Impact of Ranked Choice Voting on New Yorkers

Pop quiz: What has been around since the 1850s, gives voters like you more of a say at the polls, and is going to be a major part of NYC’s 2025 primary election? 

If you guessed ranked choice voting (RCV), then you’re correct! RCV is used in New York City’s special and citywide primary elections. Here’s what you need to know.

什么是排名选择投票？ 

Ranked choice is a voting method where voters can choose more than one candidate on their ballot by ranking them in order of preference. 

趣闻： Ashtabula in Ohio became the first place in the U.S. to use RCV in 1915, using it to elect its city council.

New York City uses ranked choice voting for primary and special elections that include the following city offices: Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough President, and City Council. 

In the city’s ranked choice elections, you have the option to rank up to five candidates but you can still cast your vote for just one. You rank your favorite candidate first, then continue up until you reach your 5th choice. 

Did you know? RCV is used in other areas of the U.S., including San Francisco, California; Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Minneapolis, Minnesota; as well as through other avenues like the Oscars!

我们为何要使用排名选择投票？

In 2019, New Yorkers elected to use ranked choice voting in citywide elections, making it the largest jurisdiction to do so. The ballot measure passed with 73.5% support.

Why the change? In short, the advantages of using ranked choice voting include a guaranteed winner with broad support and the removal of costly runoff elections. 

As explained in our 2019 Voter Analysis Report: “In Council primaries, the old system regularly produced plurality winners supported by fewer than one in three of their districts’ voters. In citywide races, the failure of a plurality winner to earn 40 percent of the vote triggered a separate runoff election, which invariably attracted few voters back to the polls.”

This voting method also increases civility during elections; hopeful winners see the benefit of being a voter’s second, third, fourth or fifth choice, so there’s less incentive to spread negative messaging about other candidates. 

How does ranked choice voting impact
New Yorkers? 

In the city’s first election using ranked choice voting in 2021, 83% of New Yorkers chose to rank more than one candidate on their ballot, and 77% expressed wanting RCV used in other elections, according to a report from Unite America Institute.

It’s still too early to tell if ranked choice voting increases voter turnout, but it’s clear New Yorkers liked the option to rank more than one candidate.

Why? Because it increases individual power at the polls. With ranked choice voting:

• If your first choice doesn’t win, your next choice still has a chance.
• Your vote stays in play longer, helping elect someone you support.
• You have a greater say in the final outcome.

Ready, set, rank!

Now it’s time to get ranked choice ready ahead of the June Primary. 

Remember: There’s a right way to rank. Avoid making errors by practicing ranked choice voting with the NYC Votes animals before hitting the polls. 

Then learn how votes are counted. Become an RCV expert before the election and ensure your vote goes farther!