Shawn Griffiths
NEW YORK CITY - An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections.
FairVote also released the findings on the same day RCV tabulations revealed that Zohan Mamdani won the Democratic primary as projected, but expanded his margin of victory from 8 points to 12 over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. He cleared the 50% threshold in the third round of tabulation with 56% of the vote.
Primary voters were able to rank up to 5 candidates in order of preference. Since no candidate exceeded 50% of first-choice selections in the crowded Democratic field, the last place candidate was eliminated, and their voters’ second choices were applied to the results. This elimination process continued until a single candidate had a majority of the vote.
According to FairVote’s poll, 96% of voters reported that their ballot was simple to complete, including at least 94% in every racial group surveyed. This offers RCV advocates more data to counter the common narrative from reform opponents that the voting method is too confusing for voters to understand.
Even if voters don’t completely understand how RCV works, they understand how to vote in a ranked choice election. The poll found that 97% of respondents at least somewhat understood RCV well with 81% saying they understand it “extremely” or “very” well. Only 3% said they did not understand it.
“Everywhere ranked choice voting is used, voters say they like and understand it – and that is once again the case in New York City,” said Deb Otis, Director of Research and Policy at FairVote. “Voting is becoming ranking in the nation’s largest city. Voters get more choice, more competition, and a majority winner without a costly, low-turnout July runoff.”
Here are some other noteworthy figures on voters’ understanding and use of RCV:
- 82% of voters said they ranked two or more candidates.
- 58% said it allowed them to vote for candidates who aligned with their values.
- 52% said it let them support multiple candidates.
- 42% said it gave them more of a say in who gets elected.
Is There Room for Expansion?
While ranked choice voting was used to determine the Democratic and Republican nominees for the November general election, there will be more than two names on the mayoral ballot. There will also be 3 independents: Mayor Eric Adams, Cuomo (despite losing the Democratic primary), and attorney Jim Walden.
One of the biggest selling points RCV advocates tout for the reform is that it ensures a majority winner. However, it is only used in primary elections in New York City, which means the winner of the 2025 mayoral race doesn’t need a majority to win. And, the closer the election is between the candidates, the further from a majority the winner will be.
Adams and Cuomo are established political figures in New York, particularly within the Democratic Party, so even though they both have low favorability numbers, they will split the vote in unpredictable ways. Mamdani was able to build a coalition of support in the primaries, but the self-described Democratic Socialist will have to appeal to independent voters to win.
This brings up another important finding from the FairVote poll. Three-quarters of respondents (76% to be specific) said they wanted to keep or expand RCV. Notably, 42% were in favor of expanding RCV to the general election, while 34% said they wanted to keep it for the primaries. Only 17% said RCV should not be used in municipal elections.
It's an encouraging sign for RCV advocates, but what if expansion of the reform meant not only to the general election, where it would guarantee mayoral winners can't skirt by with less than 50% of the vote, but what if it also meant expanding its availability at all stages of the elections process?
RCV in NYC is reserved only for party members. Using it is conditioned on joining a private political party in low turnout primary elections that are inaccessible to 1-in-5 registered New Yorkers because they choose not to affiliate with a party. While expanding RCV to general elections would resolve this -- more choice should be defined by how meaningful that choice is.
Primary turnout has risen in recent elections under RCV. However, turnout has trended downward in the general election – hitting only 23% in 2021 (the first cycle to use RCV in the primaries). This indicates a lack of motivation to turn out, especially among independents who are less likely to vote in the general election compared to registered party members.
Mamdani successfully sparked enthusiasm with young Democratic voters, turning out hundreds of thousands in only a few hours on primary election day. But if the broader electorate is not as excited about his candidacy, and their only other options are two people with a history of scandal or a largely unknown candidate – what will be their motivation?
What will bring out independent voters, who did not have a say in any of the candidates who will appear on the general election ballot?
More than 1.1 million registered New Yorkers are unaffiliated. More choice in elections cannot be fully realized if they are locked out of a critical stage of the public elections process. Expanding RCV to the general election is good, but for many independents this will be like being able to rank ice cream flavors in order of preference...
And giving them 5 flavors they don't like. What's the point?
Polling data shows that voters understand RCV. They like RCV. Many want to see it used in the general election so 5-way races don't result in low plurality outcomes. However, more choice and quality competition cannot be realized if not every voter is treated equally. If voters don't have an opportunity to express their full preferences at all election stages, regardless of party affiliation, then RCV in NYC will never reach its full potential.
There is a chance voters will have an opportunity to open primary elections to all voters in November. The NYC Charter Revision Commission is considering primary reform, and according to a new report, it is specifically looking at a possible charter amendment that would implement a nonpartisan, top two election model.
A top two system, which is used in many cities across the US, would eliminate party primaries and allow all eligible candidates to run on a single ballot, regardless of party. All registered voters in NYC would then have the opportunity to express their preferences when it will have the most impact in what is indisputably a one-party city.