{"id":39657,"date":"2025-07-01T12:42:36","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T16:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/?post_type=article&#038;p=39657"},"modified":"2025-07-01T12:42:36","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T16:42:36","slug":"ranked-choice-voting-brought-new-yorkers-together-in-this-years-democratic-primary","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/tl\/articles\/ranked-choice-voting-brought-new-yorkers-together-in-this-years-democratic-primary\/","title":{"rendered":"Ang Rank Choice Voting ay Nagsama ng mga New Yorkers sa Democratic Primary ngayong Taon"},"template":"","class_list":["post-39657","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"","featured_image":"","article_type":false,"authors":"","related_issues":[143,2066],"related_work":false,"location":null},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":"","name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last Tuesday, more than one million New Yorkers showed up to vote in the Democratic primaries, which uses a ranked choice voting system \u2013 and it was a huge success!<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All eyes were on the mayoral primary, where 11 candidates were all vying for the nomination. In a race that crowded, it\u2019s usually hard to vote for who you <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">talaga<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like without worrying about who can <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">actually<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> win. But with ranked choice voting, <\/span><b>New York\u2019s voters have more voice and more choice.<\/b>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And this year, candidates in New York City\u2019s primary took full advantage of Ranked Choice Voting. Whether it was Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander\u2019s headline-grabbing alliance on the campaign trail or the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/workingfamilies.org\/candidates\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Working Families Party\u2019s endorsement <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of four different candidates, <\/span><b>we saw a new coalition politics that put issues and voters first<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and is exactly what ranked choice voting is meant to encourage.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this post, we\u2019ll explain how ranked choice voting works and what went right in this historic election.<\/span>\r\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is ranked choice voting?<\/span><\/h3>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ranked choice voting is a different kind of ballot that gives voters more voice and more choice.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New York City voters adopted RCV because they wanted a change from crowded primaries that forced them to choose between the lesser of two evils every election.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead of picking just one candidate, voters can <\/span><b>rank their favorites <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">up to five candidates or just vote for one if they prefer: 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, and so on.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s how it works:<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1st choice votes are tallied, and if no one gets a majority of 1st choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your first choice candidate is out, then your vote goes to your next highest choice.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The process continues until there are just two candidates left and the remaining candidate with the most votes - usually a cumulative majority - wins.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That means you can vote for the candidate you support the most \u2013 even if they are unlikely to win \u2013 while still being able to support other candidates based on your preferences.<\/span>\r\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Working Together, Not Just Against Each Other<\/span><\/h3>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In most elections, candidates stick to their own base and compete fiercely with their opponents. But ranked choice voting<\/span><b> changes the rules of the game, for the better.<\/b>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because voters can support more than one candidate, ranked choice voting gives elected leaders and organizations the freedom to <\/span><b>endorse multiple candidates they believe in<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This year, several major figures and groups did just that. Some unions, community organizations, and Democratic politicians, like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnewyork.com\/news\/politics\/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-releases-nyc-mayoral-endorsement-ranked-choices\/6291297\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alexandria Ocasio Cortez<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, shared how they\u2019d rank their top picks, not just their #1 choice.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ranked choice voting also encourages candidates to be more collaborative. Since earning second- and third-choice votes can make the difference in a close race, candidates often find themselves looking for <\/span><b>common ground<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, not just contrasts. We saw that clearly in this election, when mayoral candidates <\/span><b>Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/06\/13\/mamdani-lander-cross-endorsing-mayor-00405357\"><b>endorsed each other<\/b><\/a><b> as their second choices<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Other candidates joined forces too, and some even held joint events or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityandstateny.com\/politics\/2025\/05\/how-much-did-zohran-mamdanis-call-action-help-adrienne-adams-fundraising\/405674\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fundraised<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for one another.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This new coalition politics is refreshing and important. At a time when political discourse is often tense and divisive, especially around issues of race, religion, and identity, <\/span><b>ranked choice voting made space for mutual respect and coalition-building <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this election cycle. It shows that in a city as diverse as New York, politicians can disagree, compete, and still work together toward shared goals.<\/span>\r\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What went right in this election?<\/span><\/h3>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This was the largest and most diverse ranked choice voting election in our nation\u2019s history, and there were a lot of big successes.<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tapos na <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/newyork\/news\/nyc-democratic-primary-full-results\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1.1 million people<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> cast a ballot in the Democratic primary.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than twice as many people voted early compared to 2021.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ranked choice voting <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/readme.readmedia.com\/Voting-Experts-Hold-Post-Election-Analysis-Following-Successful-NYC-Ranked-Choice-Voting-Primaries\/20944279?utm_source=newswire&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=media_pr_emails\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was incredibly popular<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 85% of people reported ranking more than one candidate, and 77% said that they want ranked choice voting in future local elections.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common Cause NY and Fair Vote ran an exit poll this election and results overwhelming confirm how popular Ranked Choice Voting is. Among the 991 New Yorkers that we sampled from, 96% said their ballot was simple to complete \u2014 including at least 94% of each racial group surveyed. That\u2019s a testament to the education efforts from advocates and campaigns to prepare voters.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voters also understood the system very well. 81% say they understand RCV extremely or very well, with another 16% saying they understand it somewhat well. That means just 3% of New Yorkers said they do not understand the system well.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And while we want that number to be zero, it's far lower than what some folks worried would happen when we introduced RCV.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A vast majority of voters also actually used the system to rank their preferences. 82% say they ranked two or more candidates for mayor, with 45% reporting that they ranked five.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These voters were clear about why they ranked, too. Among voters who ranked 2 or more candidates, 58% say \u201cranking allowed me to vote for candidates who aligned with my values.\u201d Among voters who ranked only one, 87% said it was because \u201cthat was the only candidate I liked.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<b>New Yorkers across ethnic groups found their ballots simple to complete.<\/b>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">95% of Black voters found their ballot simple to complete.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">97% of Hispanic voters found their ballot simple to complete.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">94% of Asian voters found their ballot simple to complete.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">97% of white voters found their ballot simple to complete.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And it also held true across age demographics:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\r\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\r\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the poll, 67% of voters ages 18-34 and 65+ ranked three or more candidates. 72% of voters ages 35-49 and 71% of voters ages 50-64 ranked three or more candidates.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are still problems that need to be addressed, like the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/readme.readmedia.com\/Voting-Experts-Hold-Post-Election-Analysis-Following-Successful-NYC-Ranked-Choice-Voting-Primaries\/20944279?utm_source=newswire&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=media_pr_emails\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nearly $50 million<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of PAC spending this cycle, but overall, New York City\u2019s ranked choice voting has proven what we know to be true: ranked choice voting works. It makes elections <\/span><b>fairer and more representative<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span>\r\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common Cause Helped Make This Happen<\/span><\/h3>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Common Cause, we helped lead the campaign to bring ranked choice voting to NYC back in 2019. We\u2019ve also been working to make elections more accessible, advocating for reforms like expanding vote by mail and allowing 16 and 17 year-olds to pre-register to vote.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019re so proud to see those efforts pay off, and excited to keep pushing for a democracy that puts people first.<\/span>"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_add_component","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_add_component":null},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_work","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_work":{"heading":"Work","manually_curate":false,"work":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_related_articles","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_related_articles":{"heading":"Updates","button_text":"See all Related Articles","manually_curate":false,"articles":null}}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ranked Choice Voting Brought New Yorkers Together in This Year\u2019s Democratic Primary - 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