Voters have already begun voting in New York City. There, the Democratic primary elections closely monitored for the upcoming mayoral elections are attracting attention nationwide.
Voting will open on Tuesday after nine days of early voting that ended Sunday.
The former mayor’s former governor and son of the former mayor, Andrew Cuomo, and his race led by a promising founding experience and the young democratic socialist national legislator Zoran Mamdani, who has committed to tackling the issue of costs of living, highlighted the ongoing debate for the Democratic Party’s future in New York.
The Democratic primary winner is considered a strong favorite to win the November general election, with the current mayor being deeply unpopular due to scandal and corruption allegations, and the Republican candidate is a long-term shot in a solid democratic city.
Incumbent Democrat Mayor Eric Adams announced earlier this year that he had chosen a primary to run as an independent.
The race also draws attention to the city’s ranked voting system. This allows voters to rank multiple candidates in terms of preference rather than voting for a single candidate.
What is the state of the race when voters head to the poll? Also, what are the advantages and disadvantages of ranked choice votes? Let’s take a quick look at anything beyond that.
![New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will address the media following his speech at an event for the International Brotherhood Association in New York City on June 22, 2025. [Alex Kent/Getty Images/AFP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/AFP__20250623__2220753701__v3__MidRes__AndrewCuomoCampaignsForMayorOfNewYork-1750701028.jpg?resize=770%2C514&quality=80)
When will the vote be held?
New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary will take place on June 24th, with votes open from 6am to 9pm. Early voting took place between June 14th and June 22nd.
Who is the candidate?
Cuomo and Mamdani are neck and neck in the poll, while several additional candidates are competing to lead the country’s biggest cities.
Cuomo, a 67-year-old centralist former governor of New York’s political dynasty, attempted to return to political life after discovering that he had sexually harassed at least 11 women during his time as governor, prompting a broad call for his resignation, which he ultimately fell into in 2021.
The former governor pitched himself as an experienced person who could guide the city when he faces greater scrutiny from the federal government under President Donald Trump’s administration on questions such as immigration enforcement.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist and state legislator with an immigration background, initially has a low chance of success, but has steadily moved upwards as young lawmakers create a surprisingly progressive pitch for voters. He has pledged to shake up the city’s political establishment and shake up the institute’s policies, such as rent freezes and free public buses.
Cuomo and Mamdani are the most public attention, but they are not the only candidates.
Those include Secretary Bloodlander. New York City Council speaker Adrian Adams; Former Secretary Scott Stringer. State Sen. Jessica Ramos; Sen. Zellner Miley; Michael Blake, a political consultant and former state Sen. Investor Whitney Tilson.
Why is this race so remarkable?
One of the great cities of the world worthy of New York’s status, the mayor’s competition includes plenty of drama.
After his collapse from grace as governor, Cuomo’s return to power set a strong appeal to Mamdani’s young and vibrant campaign and the city’s pluralistic identity, creating a tough contrast between his competing vision of the city’s future.
Cuomo is recognized by centric figures such as former President Bill Clinton, but Mamdani has gained support from progressive figures such as Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The conflict in the Middle East has also come into play in the race. Cuomo, a steady supporter of Israel, has pledged to crack down on anti-Semitism. Mamdani, an outspoken supporter of Palestinian rights, spoke about receiving anti-Muslim death threats during the campaign.
The Trump administration’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement was also a flashpoint. Last week, city officials and candidates responded to anger when federal immigration agents temporarily arrested city director Lander and escorted the man outside immigration court.
What will the latest vote tell us?
Recent polls show a close contest between Mamdani and Cuomo.
An Emerson poll released Monday shows Cuomo rose by 35%, Mamdani rose by 33%, Lander rose by 13% and Adrian Adams at 8%, with Adrian Adams at 8%.
Previous Emerson polls in late May showed 34% of Cuomo, 22% of mum ticks, 10% of Lander and 8% of Adrian Adams.
A June poll by Marist showed 55% of Cuomo in the final round, beating Mamdani by 45%, while Emerson’s poll showed 52% in the final round, 48% in Cuomo’s.
When will you know the outcome?
Voting will close at 9pm on Tuesday (1:00 PM GMT on Wednesday) and some preliminary data will need to be available within a few hours. However, the final results take time to tally due to the city’s ranked voting system.
The tally of ranked selections will not begin until July 1st as the city is waiting for all email-in votes to arrive. The official results will be certified on July 15th, but may be known before.
What is a ranked choice vote?
Ranked choice votes allow people to rank multiple candidates from a preference perspective rather than selecting a single candidate.
While this is more complicated than traditional elections, supporters argue that voters can express their preferences without making any or no-valid decisions on the ballot.
In New York, voters rank five candidates in order of favorableness. In the first round of voting count, only the first selection is tallied. If one candidate receives a clear majority of 50% or more, they will win the race completely.
However, if not, candidates who received the lowest number of first choice votes will be removed and the votes of those who ranked them will be accumulated first in the second choice pick of the vote.
The process continues until only two candidates remain, one wins.
What is its strength?
Ranked choice vote advocates say people can vote for candidates without worrying about their chances of winning.
If you like Mamdani and believe he is the most likely candidate to win, but prefer Lander, for example, you can rank Lander first and rank Mamdani second.
This allows people to go with the candidates they most identify with without feeling like they are “throwing the vote.” If your preferred candidate is knocked out, your vote will remain with the other candidates you ranked and could affect the outcome of the race.
Others argue that ranked selections make it difficult for candidates to win without some broad support. This is because candidates benefit if not only their core supporters, but also the supporters of several other candidates work well.
What is its weakness?
One of the drawbacks of the system is its complexity. Even voters who have participated in elections with previously selected electoral votes are simple enough to choose a set of candidates based on preference, but they can sometimes have a hard time understanding the meaning of their rankings.
Others consider this process less transparent as the computer is responsible for counting and redistributing votes in each round. This means that election updates, such as news organizations, are more difficult to follow development.
Several errors also occurred when the ranked optional vote was first used in New York City in 2021, disrupting the lawsuit and bringing allegations that election officials were not properly prepared to implement the new system. Authorities hope to avoid similar accidents this time.
