Ranked Choice Voting: What it is and how it works

NEW YORK - When New York City voters head to the polls on Primary Day (June 22), they'll see a new wrinkle: ranked-choice voting.

In the races for mayor, comptroller, public advocate, borough president and city council, voters will be asked to rank the candidates from one (top choice) to five.

The votes will then be tallied. 

If a candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, he or she wins. If not, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Those who voted for the now-eliminated candidate will have their second-choice votes counted. Then, the candidate with the next fewest votes gets eliminated. 

The process continues until there are two candidates left. The one with the most votes wins. 

Proponents of ranked-choice voting say it encourages candidates to appeal to a wide cross-section of voters and it discourages negative campaigning. 

City voters approved ranked-choice voting in a 2019 ballot question by an overwhelming margin.