Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) allows you to choose up to five candidates and rank them in order of preference on your ballot, instead of casting a vote for just one.
Ranking other candidates doesn't hurt your first-choice candidate. Your second, third, and other choices will be considered only if your first choice doesn't win.
You don't have to rank candidates on your ballot if you don't want to; you can still vote for just one candidate. But if you prefer some candidates over others, it can help the other choices on your list win if your first choice doesn't.
Learn more about RCV.
Practice ranking candidates.
Elections That Use Ranked Choice Voting
RCV is used in primary and special elections in NYC.
Voters can rank candidates for:
- Mayor
- Public Advocate
- Comptroller
- Borough President
- City Council
RCV isn't used in general elections or for candidates for state or federal offices.
How Votes Are Counted
If a candidate gets a majority of first-choice votes (at least 50%), they are declared the winner.
If no candidate gets a majority, the counting continues in rounds. In each round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. If your top-choice is eliminated, the next choice on your ballot is counted. The process is repeated until a candidate has at least 50% of the vote and is declared the winner.
Learn more about how votes are counted.
