NYC Elections 2021: Prepping for the Primaries
BY JILL DAVIS
Although it may seem a little
early to talk about the next
New York City elections,
the NYC Democratic and Republican
primaries are happening on
June 22, and there’s a lot going on
this year.
RANKED CHOICE VOTING
ARRIVES IN NYC
Perhaps most newsworthy is the
introduction of Ranked Choice
Voting to the City. Although this
system has been used in many other
municipalities over the years,
New York is by far the largest city
to institute this method. It was
put on the ballot in 2019, and
it received tremendous support,
with nearly 75% of voters voting
in favor of the measure. And so
here it is…but how does it work?
Voters can rank up to five
(5) candidates in order of preference,
instead of casting a vote for
just one.
You do not have to rank
all five. You can rank as many
or as few candidates (up to 5) as
you like.
You can choose to vote for
only one candidate and leave the
other columns blank.
Pick your first-choice candidate
and fill in the oval next to
their name under the 1st column.
If you have a second-choice candidate,
fill in the oval next to their
name under the 2nd column and
so forth.
You cannot rank the same
candidate more than once.
2021
CALLING ALL
May MATHEMATICIANS
Important note: Once the
¢polls close, if a candidate wins
COURIER a majority of first-choice votes,
i.e., more than 50%, that person
wins outright. But if no one has a
TOWERS June 21: Last day to apply in person for primary ballot.
SHORE June 22: Primary election
Last day to postmark primary election ballot
(must be received by June 29).
NORTH Early Voting Site for North Shore Towers
Creedmoor Hospital
79-25 Winchester Boulevard, Queens Village
28 Hours were not available at press time majority of first-choice votes after
the first round, the person with
the lowest number of first-choice
votes is eliminated. That candidate’s
votes are redistributed to
the second-choice candidate on
the ballots. The process is repeated
for each round until only two
candidates are left. The person
with the most votes then is the
winner.
Except in rare cases, the winner
will have a majority. Sometimes,
however, a candidate will achieve
a majority before there are only
two left, but counting still continues.
Although this person has
already technically already won,
completing the rounds of vote
counting ensures that the most
number of people will have their
votes count in the final round.
WHY DO THIS?
Proponents say the point of
ranked-choice is to help ensure
that the winner receives broader
support since a higher proportion
of voters, on average, will have
at least partially backed the winner.
Supporters also say it saves
money by eliminating the need
for runoff elections. In New York
City, citywide elections where the
first-place finisher does not reach
a 40% threshold automatically
results in a runoff, which can cost
a lot of money, be divisive when
used to determine primaries and
often have a much lower turnout
than the original election. Instead,
the runoff happens instantly –
hence “instant runoff” – with the
votes that have already been cast.
They also say that rankedchoice
decreases negative campaigning
since candidates are
looking to be the second-choices
of their opponents’ supporters,
and that it encourages candidates
to reach out to a wide coalition
to build a broad base of support.
Although some critics say this will
lead to fewer candidates taking
hard stands on divisive issues,
proponents argue that hasn’t
happened in cities where the
system has been used. Source:
Cityandstateny.com
WHAT ELSE IS
GOING ON?
Oh, nothing much…just that
these changes in voting procedures
are happening simultaneously with
five (5) important NYC offices up
for election:
• Mayor
• Public Advocate
• Comptroller
• Borough President
• City Council Elections
At press time, the field for each
office is crowded, but will no
doubt dwindle before the June 22
primaries.
Upcoming
Televised
Primary
Debates
• Mayoral Democratic:
Thursday, May 13, 7 pm - 9 pm,
Spectrum Ch. 1
• Mayoral Republican:
Wednesday, May 26, 7 pm - 8
pm, Spectrum Ch. 1
• Mayoral Democratic:
Wednesday, June 2, 7 pm - 9 pm,
WABC-TV Ch. 7
• Mayoral Republican: Sunday,
June 6, Time TBA, WABC–
TV Ch. 7
• Comptroller Democratic:
Thursday, June 10, 7 pm - 8 pm,
Spectrum Ch. 1
• Mayoral Democratic:
Wednesday, June 16, 7 pm - 8
pm, WNBC-TV Ch. 4
• Comptroller Democratic:
Sunday, June 20, 9:30 am - 10:30
am, WNBC-TV Ch. 4
In addition, there are several
websites where you can find out
more about the candidates and
voting procedures. Some of these
include:
• ny1.com (Spectrum Ch. 1)
• thecity.nyc (Nonprofit, nonpartisan
digital news platform)
• vote.nyc (NYC Board of
Elections)
• voting.nyc (Informational
site funded by the Campaign
Finance Board)
Important Information & Dates
In New York, you must be a registered member of the party in order
to vote in that party’s primary. Note: The deadline to register in a party,
or to register in a different one, was in February, 2021.
June 2: New residents take note: Last day change of address
can be processed.
June 12 – 20: Days of Early Voting (Site for NST below)
June 15: Last day to postmark, email or fax application for
primary ballot.
/Cityandstateny.com
/ny1.com
