New York City is using ranked choice voting in its Democratic mayoral primary

New York – The City of New York uses the vote of choice classified during its primary elections of Democratic mayor on Tuesday, a system which takes on explanations, even for the New Yorkers who have already used it.

The understanding of voters of the way in which the classified choice works could play a role in which the candidate comes out in a race which presents the former governor Andrew Cuomo, the Progressive Edition Zohran Mamdani and several other current and former civil servants, notably the president of the municipal council Adrienne Adams and the municipal count Brad Lander, who was arrested last week at an immigration court.

The system is based on a simple premise: democracy works better if people are not obliged to make a choice all or nothing with their vote.

Rather than choosing a single candidate, voters can classify several in order preferably. Even if the first choice of a voter does not have enough support to win, his ranking of other candidates still plays a role in determining the winner.

The system is more complex than a traditional election, which makes it difficult to forecast a winner. It could also take more time to get results.

In the New York version, voters can classify up to five candidates, from the first to the last, on the ballot.

If a candidate is the first choice of a majority of voters – more than 50% – this person wins the race squarely, as in a traditional election.

If no one strikes this threshold, the analysis of classified choice comes into play.

The voting tab is made by computer in circles. After the first round, the candidate in the last place – the candidate ranked n ° 1 by the fewest people – is eliminated. The computer then examines the voting bulletins deposited by people who first classified this candidate to see who they ranked second. The votes of these people are then redistributed to their second choice.

This process is repeated then. While more and more candidates are eliminated, the third, fourth and even fifth choice of voters could potentially come into play. The rounds continue until there are only two candidates. The one with the most votes wins.

Eleven candidates are on the ballot of the primary mayor Democrat. The outgoing mayor Eric Adams is not part of it. He is a democrat but presents himself as an independent. The Republican Party has already chosen its candidate, the founder of the Guardian Angels, Curtis Sliwa.

The computerized tab process takes a short time, but it does not start right away.

The polls end at 9 p.m. Tuesday. In a few hours, the preliminary results should give an image of how candidates are made according to the first choices of voters.

The tabs of choice classified, however, will not start before July 1, because the city must wait for the arrival of postal bulletins.

The tab of July 1 could potentially give a clear image of who has won, but the result will not be official. Other classified choice analysis cycles will then be made that the voting ballots by additional absentness arrive until the board of directors certify the elections on July 15.

It will be the second time that New York has used the choice classified in a primary mayor. The first time, in 2021, things were unlocked when election managers neglected to erase test data from the tab program. This led to an inaccurate voting count reported until the managers make the error.

The officials hope that things take place more fluid this time.

An advantage is that no one “waste” his vote by choosing an unpopular candidate as a first choice.

Voters can classify someone they like n ° 1, even if they suspect that the candidate has no chance. If this person is eliminated, voters always get a say who wins according to their other rankings.

Another advantage is that it is difficult for someone to be elected without large support. During a traditional election, it is possible for someone with marginal political opinions to win in a crowded field of candidates, even if they are deeply hated by the majority of voters.

It is theoretically less likely in a classified choice system. A candidate could obtain the largest share of first choice votes, but always lose from someone who is the second or third choice of a large number of people.

The system is difficult to grasp. This forces voters to do more research. This also makes races less predictable.

Transparency and confidence are also potential problems. Usually candidates, the public and press organizations can see the votes enter, the district by constituency and know exactly who leads and where their support comes from.

As part of the classified choice system, the voting redistribution process is made by computer. External groups will find it more difficult to assess whether the software has accurately sorted the votes classified.

This is a challenge for press organizations, such as the Associated Press, which analyze the voting statements and try to report a winner before the end of the count.

There may be cases where candidates who seem to have a comfortable advance in the votes in first place on the night of the elections lose because relatively few voters classify them as their second or third choice. This could lead people to question the results.