As early voting begins across the Bronx ahead of New York City’s primary, some voters may notice a key difference on this year’s ballot, with ranked choice voting not being used in many races this cycle.
The voting system, which has been used in recent New York City elections, allows voters to rank multiple candidates in order of preference rather than selecting just one candidate.
But at the Morris Park Community Association early voting site, several Bronx voters told News 12 they were unfamiliar with ranked choice voting altogether.
When asked whether they had heard of the system before, some voters had quick responses.
“No,” said Morris Park community member Naomi Cubilete.
“No I never heard of it,” said Morris Park resident Fabiola.
Angel Pagan, who lives on Grand Concourse, said, “Can’t form an opinion because I never researched it.”
For those unfamiliar with the process, ranked choice voting allows voters to rank candidates based on preference instead of choosing just one name. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote after the initial count, additional rounds of counting take place until one candidate emerges victorious.
After learning more about how the process works, Bronx voters had mixed reactions about whether they support the system.
“If it gives me a wider range of candidates to look at, I’d prefer it,” Pagan said.
Fabiola said, “I think it’s fine the way it is. It’s what we’re used to.”
One resident said they would welcome having more options when voting.
“If I had the option to pick and choose who I can pick first to last, I would do it,” Cubilete said.
Morris Park Community Member Tafadar Soujed added, “I think ranked choice voting is a great way for people to get better representation for the candidates they want to see on the ballot.”
To better understand why ranked choice voting appears in some elections but not others, News 12 spoke with Christopher Malone, a political science professor, who said the answer comes down to the type of election taking place.
“The way the law is written is that it is put in place for primary and special elections. We don’t have it at the state, assembly or senate level if that is the question you’re asking,” Malone said.
New York City voters approved ranked choice voting through a city charter amendment in 2019, and the system was officially implemented in 2021.
Currently, ranked choice voting is used in primary and special elections for certain city offices, including mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president and City Council.
That means whether voters see ranked choice voting on their ballot depends entirely on the type of race they are voting in during a given election cycle.
