2021 is a huge voting year for New Yorkers. There are many worthy candidates running for Mayor, Borough President, City Council, Comptroller, and Public Advocate, and for the first time ever, we can pick up to five of our favorites for each position. Are you ready to rank your votes?
During the upcoming primaries on June 22 and the general election on November 2, we all will vote using Ranked-Choice Voting, an electoral system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots rather than picking a single favorite candidate. Ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank candidates by preference, meaning they can submit ballots that list not only their first-choice candidate for a position, but also their second, third and so on.
Here’s how to vote:
- Pick your 1st Choice candidate and completely fill in the oval next to that candidate under 1st Choice. You must choose at least one candidate for your vote to count.
- If you have a 2nd choice candidate, fill in the oval next to that candidate under 2nd Choice.
- Continue marking up to 5 choices. You can mark as many or as few as you wish.
Be sure to mark:
- At least 1 candidate for your vote to count. You do not have to rank all candidates.
- No more than 1 oval per column.
- No more than 1 oval per candidate.
It is reported that proponents say ranked-choice voting enables people to more fully express their preferences, encourages more candidates to run (especially women and people of color), and discourages negative campaigning, since candidates are no longer competing for a person’s only vote. Nearly 75% of New York City voters supported ranked-choice voting in a 2019 ballot measure, and ranked-choice voting has already been used in 2021 in special City Council elections.
The primary elections will occur on June 22, 2021. The general election will occur on November 2, 2021. Click here to see if you’re registered to vote and check where your poll site is.
Learn more about ranked-choice voting with the following resources:
