New York City is ready to wrap up its congested Democratic mayoral primary on June 24. The competition features two front-runners amongst a wider pool of candidates. The democratic primary election uses a unique system known as ranked choice voting, where voters are able to designate their top choices amongst the contenders, in a list of up to five.
According to multiple surveys, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is observed to be at the top of the list, marginally surpassing state Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani. Despite the anticipation over who the voters’ first preference will be, it remains doubtful that a single candidate will acquire the mandatory 50% vote share required to secure an outright victory in the first round itself.
This is where the crux of the ranked choice voting system comes into play—it gradually eliminates the candidates with the least votes over a series of rounds until only two competitors remain. It is predicted that this process will extend until July 1.
Considering New York City’s political climate—predominantly skewed towards the Democratic party, securing the primary represents a notable advantage for the contender in the subsequent general election in November. The current Mayor, Eric Adams, however, is contesting for re-election as an independent candidate.
Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani too have the alternative of joining the race under a minor-party ticket if they don’t make it through the Democratic primary. This election also sees a Republican candidate, the anti-crime activist Curis Sliwa, thrown into the mix.
Residents of the city had the chance to cast their votes early from June 14 to June 22. The primary election day itself, however, was held on June 24 with polling booths operational from 6 in the morning until 9 at night.
The novel ranked choice voting system is implemented in New York City for elections encompassing key positions including mayor, City Council, public advocate, comptroller, and borough president. This system earned the voters’ approval in 2019 and was put into practice for the first time in 2021.
A diverse spectrum of candidates including Andrew Cuomo, New York City Council speaker Adrienne Adams, Michael Blake, who served as former Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, Zohran Mamdani, state Senators Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos, former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer and Whitney Tilson, a retired hedge fund manager, were on the ballot.
The only non-Democrat contenders were attorney Jim Walden and Republican candidate Curis Sliwa. The current Mayor, Eric Adams emerged victorious in the 2021 Democratic primary, successfully claiming the mayoralty.
Eric Adams is still in the fray for the coveted position for re-election in November, but resolved to not be a part of the Democratic primary after much controversy during his term. His term has been marked by the resignations of several deputy mayors, indictment of aides and high-ranking officials in City Hall, and even corruption probes linked to home raids.
Adams, who has consistently maintained his innocence, used to affiliate with the Republican party before deciding to bypass the crowded Democratic primary in April. A recent survey by Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill unveiled on June 23 hints at Mamdani, age 33, eclipsing Cuomo by a narrow margin in a ranked choice voting scenario.
However, prior polls have indicated Cuomo leading the charge. A survey conducted between May 23 and May 26 by PIX11/Emerson College along with The Hill, demonstrated that in a ranked-choice voting system, Cuomo would come out on top against Mamdani with a 54.4% to 45.6% victory in the 10th round.
Unofficial results of the initial-choice votes are expected to be publicized soon after the polling stations shut their doors at 9 p.m. on the day of the election. Votes executed early, votes cast on Election Day at polling sites, and any validated mail ballots canvassed—with the exclusion of affidavit ballots—will comprise this tally.
Nevertheless, as it is unforeseeable for any candidate to receive over 50% of the first-round votes, it may take a longer duration to reach the final results, as one by one, candidates are increasingly eliminated. A preliminary result from the elections board is slated to be released on July 1.
Final official results are expected to be disclosed approximately two weeks later, potentially on July 14, after all the rounds of vote counts and eliminations are thoroughly completed.
The post NYC Prepares for Crowded Democratic Mayoral Primary appeared first on Real News Now.
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