University of Kwazulu-Natal

Ranked Choice Voting Helped Mamdani Score A Decisive Primary Win

Bonisiwe Shabane
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ranked choice voting helped mamdani score a decisive primary win

New Yorkers Embraced Ranked-Choice Voting. It Helped Mamdani Score a Decisive Primary Win. By Meghan Morris, Eden Weingart and Emma G. Fitzsimmons The Democratic primary for mayor of New York City in June was the second major election in which the city used ranked-choice voting. The results show that voters and campaigns are becoming more sophisticated in how they use the system.

The race had two clear front-runners, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Mr. Mamdani ultimately benefited more from ranked choices, especially after his cross-endorsement with Brad Lander, the city comptroller who finished third. A majority of voters, responding to a campaign led by Mr.

Cuomo’s foes and critics, left him off their ballots entirely. The Democratic primary for mayor of New York City in June was the second major election in which the city used ranked-choice voting. The results show that voters and campaigns are becoming more sophisticated in how they use the system. The race had two clear front-runners, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Mr. Mamdani ultimately benefited more from ranked choices, especially after his cross-endorsement with Brad Lander, the city comptroller who finished third. A majority of voters, responding to a campaign led by Mr. Cuomo’s foes and critics, left him off their ballots entirely. After the first-choice votes were tallied, Mr. Mamdani and Mr.

Cuomo were so far ahead of the pack that it was mathematically impossible for anyone else to win. So as the tabulation continued, all the other candidates were eliminated in one batch. But to dig deeper, The New York Times analyzed the ranked-choice data pulled from each voter’s ballot to show exactly how the field reduced from 11 to two, as each last place candidate was... The data implies that New York City voters are getting used to ranked-choice voting. In the 2021 Democratic primary, more than 140,000 ballots were inactive by the final round. This year, there were roughly 55,000 inactive ballots, signaling a greater understanding of the system.

Nearly half of voters used all five of their ballot choices this time around, up from 40 percent four years ago. The New York City primary proved that ranked-choice voting can help build coalitions among parts of the left. Independent journalism at Truthout faces unprecedented authoritarian censorship. If you value progressive media, please make a year-end donation today. In the final sprint leading up to Zohran Mamdani’s historic win on Tuesday, the New York City mayoral primary took on an unusually refreshing tone: one of cooperation. Shortly before early voting started, Mamdani, a state assemblymember and unabashed democratic socialist, cross-endorsed with City Comptroller Brad Lander.

It was a good match. In spots where 33-year-old Mamdani’s political resume was thin, Lander, a longtime local progressive leader, could add gravitas. What Lander lacked in innovation and charisma, polling in a distant third place, Mamdani had in spades. And by appearing side-by-side at rallies, in social media videos, and on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” the two could work to dispel the lie that Muslim and Jewish New Yorkers need be... Their overarching message was clear: Vote for both of us, but keep disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo off your ballot.

This collaborative approach to campaigning was enabled by New York City’s ranked-choice voting system, which voters overwhelmingly adopted for primaries and special elections in a 2019 ballot referendum. New York’s system allows voters to rank their top five candidates rather than choose just one. If no candidate receives the majority of votes, ballot tabulation continues in rounds, with the last-place candidate eliminated each round. When a voter’s top candidate is eliminated, their second-choice candidate gets their vote, and so on. Anthony Izaguirre, Associated Press Anthony Izaguirre, Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Zohran Mamdani has won New York City's Democratic mayoral primary, a new vote count confirmed Tuesday, cementing his stunning upset of former Gov.

Andrew Cuomo and sending him to the general election. The Associated Press called the race after the results of the city's ranked choice voting tabulation were released and showed Mamdani trouncing Cuomo by 12 percentage points. In a statement, Mamdani said he was humbled by the support he received in the primary and started turning his attention to the general election. "Last Tuesday, Democrats spoke in a clear voice, delivering a mandate for an affordable city, a politics of the future, and a leader unafraid to fight back against rising authoritarianism," he said. "I am humbled by the support of more than 545,000 New Yorkers who voted for our campaign and am excited to expand this coalition even further as we defeat Eric Adams and win a... Our nonprofit newsroom relies on readers like you to power investigations like these.

Join the community that powers NYC’s independent local news. Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani (D-Queens) cemented his lead in the mayoral primary election, securing a majority of the vote after just two rounds of ranked choice tabulations, according to the Board of Elections Tuesday. The BOE first eliminated votes for write-in candidates, redistributing any ranked choices to candidates on the ballot. Then, in the next round, it eliminated all other candidates besides Mamdani and Cuomo. Mamdani emerged as the clear winner with 56%, or a total of 545,334 votes. Cuomo ultimately received 44% of votes, or 428,530 votes.

Mamdani picked up 99,069 votes, and Cuomo added 53,493 votes, with 52,919 ballots exhausted, meaning voters had ranked neither Mamdani nor Cuomo. Your support allows Common Dreams to continue covering the stories and amplifying the voices that the corporate media never will. Make a tax-deductible year-end gift to ensure we can sustain the reporting needed to meet the challenges of 2026. Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin during a phone banking event for Proposition 50 at the Women’s March Foundation Office on October 23, 2025, in Los Angeles. One pollster argued that ranked-choice "gives a better chance to new faces, outsider candidates, people with grassroots movements, people who run positive campaigns, people who have something new to offer." Progressives are hopeful that a new push for ranked-choice voting could allow for more primary races in which candidates who accurately reflect the priorities of the party’s voters rise to the top.

Ranked-choice voting (RCV), which lets voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than voting for a single one, was instrumental in the unexpected triumph of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in this... On June 24, 2025, something remarkable happened in New York City politics. Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist and Queens Assemblymember, stunned the establishment by taking a dominant lead in the Democratic mayoral primary—garnering 43.5% of first-choice votes in a crowded 13-candidate race. While that’s short of the 50% needed for a technical majority, the margin was wide enough that his top rival, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, conceded before ranked-choice elimination rounds even completed. But Mamdani’s surge wasn’t just about progressive energy. It was a powerful example of how ranked-choice voting (RCV) can reshape elections—and who wins them.

RCV allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference—up to five in NYC. If no candidate wins an outright majority (over 50%) in first-choice votes, the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated. Their voters’ next preferences are redistributed. This process continues until someone reaches a majority. This method ensures that the winner has broader support and prevents spoilers or vote-splitting between similar candidates.

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New Yorkers Embraced Ranked-Choice Voting. It Helped Mamdani Score A

New Yorkers Embraced Ranked-Choice Voting. It Helped Mamdani Score a Decisive Primary Win. By Meghan Morris, Eden Weingart and Emma G. Fitzsimmons The Democratic primary for mayor of New York City in June was the second major election in which the city used ranked-choice voting. The results show that voters and campaigns are becoming more sophisticated in how they use the system.

The Race Had Two Clear Front-runners, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani And

The race had two clear front-runners, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Mr. Mamdani ultimately benefited more from ranked choices, especially after his cross-endorsement with Brad Lander, the city comptroller who finished third. A majority of voters, responding to a campaign led by Mr.

Cuomo’s Foes And Critics, Left Him Off Their Ballots Entirely.

Cuomo’s foes and critics, left him off their ballots entirely. The Democratic primary for mayor of New York City in June was the second major election in which the city used ranked-choice voting. The results show that voters and campaigns are becoming more sophisticated in how they use the system. The race had two clear front-runners, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Mr. Mamdani Ultimately Benefited More From Ranked Choices, Especially After

Mr. Mamdani ultimately benefited more from ranked choices, especially after his cross-endorsement with Brad Lander, the city comptroller who finished third. A majority of voters, responding to a campaign led by Mr. Cuomo’s foes and critics, left him off their ballots entirely. After the first-choice votes were tallied, Mr. Mamdani and Mr.

Cuomo Were So Far Ahead Of The Pack That It

Cuomo were so far ahead of the pack that it was mathematically impossible for anyone else to win. So as the tabulation continued, all the other candidates were eliminated in one batch. But to dig deeper, The New York Times analyzed the ranked-choice data pulled from each voter’s ballot to show exactly how the field reduced from 11 to two, as each last place candidate was... The data implies that N...