VOTING WILL BE DIFFERENT IN 2021

(And not just because of COVID!)

 

New York City is changing the way we elect our public officials, from City Council to Mayor by using Ranked Choice Voting from now on.

 

How does Ranked Choice Voting work?

 

Instead of just voting for one candidate, you get to vote for up to FIVE candidates per race, and then rank those five candidates however you prefer.  

 

If no candidate gets more than 50%, then the last place candidate is dropped, and their votes go to whoever was ranked #2 on those ballots.  If this still doesn’t bring any candidate over 50% then the second-to-last candidate is dropped, their votes are redistributed, and so on.

 

Why are we switching to Ranked Choice Voting?

In 2019, New York City voters overwhelmingly voted to change to Ranked Choice Voting by changing the City Charter.  Ranked Choice Voting forces candidates to reach out to more voters instead of counting on a small minority of voters, ensures that elected officials work for their entire district, and tends to make campaigns more positive.  The 2021 special elections will be the first to use Ranked Choice Voting, although New York City previously used Ranked Choice Voting for election school board members.