NYC Mayoral Race: Due To Ranked Choice Voting, Winner Of Democratic Primary May Not Be Known For Weeks
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Candidates in New York City's mayoral primary and other offices up for grabs may have to wait weeks to know the final results.
As CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported, it's a frantic race to Election Day for the men and women vying to replace Bill de Blasio, but due to the ranked choice voting system it'll likely take quite a while before a Democratic candidate is determined.
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"We want safety and justice. We don't have to surrender the safety we deserve for the justice we need," Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said Monday.
"I will work my heart out for you every singe day. I will solve the problems that are getting worse. You will see real progress," Andrew Yang said.
"We need a city that works for everyone. I have the track record," Kathryn Garcia said.
"This is a city that has been traumatized, that is finally starting to recover and is coming to the polls to make one of the most important decisions any New Yorkers is going to make," Maya Wiley said.
"I'm very encouraged by the response we are getting out on the streets, and this is the way you get elected mayor, one voter at a time," Scott Stringer said.
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But while they are crisscrossing the city making their final arguments, the candidates are also facing a new reality. There will be no instant gratification when the polls close Tuesday night. No one will be able to declare victory. That's because it takes time to tabulate the outcome under the city's new ranked choice voting system.
"It could be weeks before we have a 100% final result," de Blasio said.
Election officials say the information will be made public slowly.
- First-place votes will be announced when the polls close Tuesday night.
- If no one gets 50%, which is likely to be the case with so many candidates, the first round of ranked choice results will be announced on June 29.
- That is also the date officials will start to open absentee and affidavit ballots.
- More results will be posted on July 6 and the final results will come the week after.
"I would just say to New Yorkers we're going to have to exercise a little patience here, something we're not particularly good at," de Blasio said.
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But that wont stop the campaigns from trying to figure out where they stand.
After the first results are announced Tuesday night, the various campaigns will try to analyze the gap between the first- and second-place finishers and total voter turnout.
On the Republican side, there is no ranked choice voting for mayor because there are only two candidates -- Fernando Mateo and Curtis Sliwa.
