Voting Experts Hold Post-Election Analysis Following Successful NYC Ranked Choice Voting Primaries

NEW YORK, NY (06/25/2025) (readMedia)-- Today, Common Cause/NY Executive Director Susan Lerner hosted a post-election analysis on the 2025 Primary elections with Rosemonde Pierre-Louis, Board Member of Rank the Vote NYC and Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, Brennan Center fellow and professor of law at Stetson University College of Law. Over one million New Yorkers voted without significant issue in the largest and most diverse ranked choice voting election in the United States, with thousands of additional votes expected to be received in the coming days. The group discussed the impact of ranked choice voting in this year's races, when voters can expect results, and the influence of outsize super PAC spending.

Watch a recording of the press briefing here.

Read the analysis on spending in this year's races attached.

"Yesterday, more than one million New Yorkers successfully voted in the largest ranked choice voting election in the country! We are thrilled that so many New Yorkers were eager to get out and vote early and on Election Day, and are pleased that the election went smoothly," said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY. "Thanks to our ranked choice voting system, voters have more choice in who represents them and can be confident their party's candidates for Mayor, Borough Presidents, Comptroller, and City Council are preferred by the most voters. Now, we urge voters to be patient as election officials count and verify every vote - because accurate, reliable results are worth waiting for."

In 2019, Common Cause/NY led the campaign to bring Rank Choice Voting to New York City, and voters overwhelmingly approved the ballot measure, adopting it by a margin of nearly 3-1. Since 2021, all New York City primaries and special elections for Mayor, Comptroller, Public Advocate, Borough President and City Council use ranked choice voting.

This year, ranked choice voting empowered voters just as Common Cause New York and the Let NY Vote coalition hoped for when we fought to bring this system to New York City. Voters were enthusiastic about the voting experience, more engaged and informed about the candidates they voted for, and had greater say on the final results. RCV also enabled campaigns to work collaboratively, forced candidates to expand beyond their immediate base, and enabled them to canvas voters often ignored by politicians.

At the same time, this year's elections also saw unprecedented amounts of outside money pour into elections for Mayor, City Council and even down to district leader races. Several Super PACs, including Fix the City, Inc., Housing for All, and others, received more than $28 million in contributions, with total PAC donations nearing $50 million across all races. Several campaigns for Mayor saw large disbursements in public matching funds from the New York City Campaign Finance Board, which provides campaigns with an 8-to-1 match for any small-dollar contribution up to $250. The program sets a maximum amount that participating campaigns can spend on their race, and limits on how they can spend that money - but outside spending still dominated campaigns' direct funding. A full breakdown of outside spending in this year's races is attached.

For nearly a decade, Common Cause New York has worked to improve New York's elections. As a founding organization of the Let NY Vote Coalition, Common Cause/NY helped to pass major election reform in the State Legislature that has transformed the way in which New Yorkers vote. In addition to introducing ranked choice voting, Common Cause NY and the Let NY Vote coalition led efforts to expand vote-by-mail, allow pre-registration for 16 and 17-year-olds, consolidate New York's primary dates, and establish a "Golden Day" that allows New Yorkers to register to vote and cast their ballot on the same day. These reforms have expanded access to the ballot and given voters more choices in how they make their voice heard. Over the last ten days, more than twice as many New Yorkers cast their ballots early compared to 2021, and voters are increasingly using mail-in voting, which Common Cause New York helped make easier by eliminating the requirement that voters provide a reason when requesting a mail ballot. Read more about our efforts to improve ballot access here.

Now that polls are closed, voters can expect to know the final results in the next few weeks. New York City's ranked choice system is the largest in the country and collecting and verifying all votes takes time. Over the next week, the Board of Elections will collect the nearly 4,000 voting machines used across more than 1,200 locations and compile the verifiable cast vote records needed for New York City's ranked choice simulation. The Board of Elections will then run its first RCV simulation one week after Election Day, with all votes collected and verified as of that date.

After Election Day, the Board of Elections will continue to verify outstanding absentee, affidavit, and mail ballots before tabulating final votes. The deadline for receipt of absentee and vote by mail ballots mailed and postmarked no later than June 24th is Tuesday, July 1st and these ballots will continue to be counted as they are received. Until the results are final, we caution against candidates declaring victory too early in close races.

Background

In 2021, nearly 1.1 million New Yorkers made history by voting in the largest and most diverse first ranked choice voting election in U.S. history. According to exit polls at the time, 85% said they ranked more than one candidate and a nearly unanimous 94% of voters said they found their ballot simple to complete. 77% of voters, a clear majority, said they want ranked choice voting for future local elections. Support for ranked choice voting was consistent across every ethnic and racial group.

By giving New Yorkers more choice and more voice, ranked choice voting promotes better candidates and campaigns. Unlike a winner-take-all system, candidates must compete for second- and third- choice votes, requiring them to engage with voters beyond their base and rewarding candidates with broader appeal across the electorate. At the same time, ranked choice voting prevents what is commonly referred to as the "spoiler effect," meaning multiple candidates with similar views or backgrounds can run for the same seat without fear of taking away votes and damaging their chances against another candidate. Most importantly, voters can choose candidates who align with them more freely and without fear of wasting their vote.

In 2019, Common Cause New York and other community organizations helped launch Rank the Vote NYC, a campaign to bring Ranked Choice Voting to New York City and educate voters about the role of ranked choice voting each election cycle. Participating groups included the ??African American Clergy & Elected Officials, Achievement First Schools, The Black Institute, Bronx NAACP, Brooklyn Community Foundation, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Law and Social Justice, CHHAYA Community Development Corp., Chinese American Planning Council, Citizens Union, Citymeals on Wheels, Common Cause New York, Community Voices Heard, Dominicanos USA, Educational Alliance, F.Y. Eye, Grow NY, Latino Association of Restaurant and Bars, Minkwon Community Action Center, Mothers on the Move, New York State Restaurant Association, National Supermarkets Association, North East Queens NAACP, New York Communities for Change, New York Immigration Coalition, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, Queens Public Library, United Neighborhood Houses, and YMCA of Greater New York.