New York City voters will face a ranked choice ballot in the June 23, 2026 primary election. The ballot will look different from the one used in general elections in November because, since 2019, the city has tabulated certain municipal primary and special elections using ranked choice voting (RCV). The rules are not new, but every primary cycle brings a fresh round of voters who have not yet filled out an RCV ballot, plus residents who want to verify how the system works before early voting opens on Saturday, June 13. This guide walks through what to expect when you receive your ballot, which offices on the ballot are tabulated with RCV and which are not, how rounds of counting actually work after polls close, and the dates that matter between now and Election Day.
The information here is drawn directly from the NYC Board of Elections and the New York State Board of Elections. For the full step-by-step explainer of how rounds of counting work, see our companion guide: Ranked Choice Voting NYC: How It Works. For polling locations, hours, and mail ballot deadlines, see NYC Polling Sites, Early Voting, and Mail Ballots 2026.
What ranked choice voting actually is
Ranked choice voting allows a voter to rank up to five candidates in order of preference instead of selecting only one. On the New York City ballot, the candidates for a single office are listed across a grid. The columns are labeled 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, 4th choice, and 5th choice. Voters fill in the oval next to their favorite candidate under the 1st choice column, then optionally fill in the oval next to their next preferred candidate under the 2nd choice column, and so on. The same candidate cannot be ranked more than once, and only one candidate can be chosen per column.
According to the NYC Board of Elections, voters are not required to rank five candidates. A voter may rank one, two, three, four, or five. Leaving a column blank is permitted. A voter may also choose to vote for only one candidate and leave every other column blank, which is functionally the same as a non-ranked vote.
The ranking system was added to the City Charter by a 2019 ballot measure, which the NYC Board of Elections reports was approved by 73.5% of voters who participated in that referendum.
Which offices on the June 23 ballot use RCV
Ranked choice voting applies only to primary and special elections for certain municipal offices in New York City. Per the NYC Board of Elections, the offices tabulated with RCV are, in alphabetical order:
- Borough President
- City Council
- Comptroller
- Mayor
- Public Advocate
Voters in the June 23, 2026 primary will see RCV columns for these offices on their ballots wherever a primary contest is taking place. The exact offices that appear on any individual ballot will depend on the voter’s party enrollment, since New York runs closed primaries, and on the voter’s district, since not every district has a contested primary in any given cycle.
Which offices do not use RCV
The NYC Board of Elections lists the following offices as not subject to ranked choice voting in New York City. Voters select one candidate for each of these offices, even when those races appear on the same ballot as RCV contests:
- Assembly
- Civil Court Judges
- Congress
- District Attorney
- Governor
- President
- State Senate
- Supreme Court Judges
- Surrogate
- US Senate
RCV also does not apply to general elections at any level. The November 3, 2026 general election ballot will not use ranked choice columns.
How counting works on election night and after
The NYC Board of Elections publishes unofficial first-choice results on election night, after polls close at 9:00 p.m. Those results include first-choice votes from early voting, Election Day, and any valid mail ballots that were canvassed in time, but they do not yet include affidavit ballots and have not yet been put through the elimination rounds.
If a candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes in a given race, that candidate wins outright and no further rounds are needed. If no candidate clears 50% of first-choice votes, the count proceeds in rounds. The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Ballots that ranked the eliminated candidate first then transfer to those ballots’ next-ranked still-active candidate. This process repeats until two candidates remain, and the candidate with more votes wins.
The Board reports preliminary RCV elimination rounds one week after Election Day, and updates the tabulation weekly as mail and affidavit ballots continue to be processed. Final certified results are not available until every ballot, including early mail, absentee, military, affidavit, and emergency ballots, has been counted and all cure deadlines have expired.
What an over-vote is and how to avoid one
Under RCV rules, a voter may not give two candidates the same ranking. If a voter fills in two ovals in the same column, that is called an over-vote. The Board of Elections explains that an over-vote in a given column means the vote in that rank and in every later rank cannot be counted for that race. Earlier rankings on the same ballot, in lower-numbered columns, are still counted normally. To avoid an over-vote, fill in only one oval per column.
Ranking the same candidate in more than one column is also not permitted and does not give that candidate extra weight. The Board notes that ranking your favorite candidate first, second, and third is functionally equivalent to ranking them first and leaving the second and third columns blank.
Important June 23, 2026 primary dates
The following primary-election dates come from the NYC Board of Elections’ published 2026 elections calendar.
- Early voting period: Saturday, June 13, 2026 through Sunday, June 21, 2026.
- Primary Election Day: Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Polls open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Early voting hours vary by day. The Board’s published schedule for the June 2026 primary is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday June 15, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday June 16 and Wednesday June 17, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday June 18, with weekend hours resuming Friday through Sunday. Voters can confirm hours and locate the correct early voting site through the Board’s online tools.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to rank five candidates?
No. The NYC Board of Elections confirms that voters can rank as many or as few candidates as they like, up to five. Voting for only one candidate is permitted.
If I rank a second-choice candidate, does it hurt my first choice?
No. Only the first choice is counted in Round 1. A second, third, fourth, or fifth choice is only considered if the higher-ranked candidate on that ballot has been eliminated in a prior round.
Does ranked choice voting apply to the November 2026 general election?
No. RCV is used only in NYC primary and special elections for the offices of Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough President, and City Council. The November 3, 2026 general election will not use ranked choice columns.
What if my first choice is eliminated?
If your first-choice candidate is eliminated in a counting round, your ballot is reassigned to your next-ranked active candidate. If both your first and second choices have been eliminated, your vote moves to your third choice, and so on through your fifth choice.
Can I rank a write-in candidate?
Yes. The Board’s instructions state that a voter can write a candidate’s name on the write-in line and fill in the oval to assign that candidate a ranking.
When will I know who won?
Unofficial first-choice totals are reported on election night. Preliminary RCV elimination rounds are released one week later and updated weekly until certification, which only occurs after all eligible ballots and cure deadlines are processed.
Does RCV apply to District Attorney races?
No. The NYC Board of Elections lists District Attorney among the offices not subject to ranked choice voting.
How to prepare before Election Day
The single most important step a voter can take in advance of the June 23 primary is to confirm registration status and party enrollment, because party enrollment determines which primary contests appear on the ballot. Registration and enrollment can be confirmed through the NYC Board of Elections’ Am I Registered tool. Voters who plan to vote by mail should review the request and return deadlines published on the Board’s site, as a mail ballot postmarked or returned late will not be counted. Voters who plan to vote in person, whether during early voting or on Primary Election Day itself, can locate the correct poll site using the Board’s poll site finder.
For a more detailed walkthrough of how the rounds of counting are actually run by the Board, including what happens if every ballot in a particular round has exhausted its rankings, see our companion guide on how ranked choice voting works in NYC. For polling site locations, accessible voting information, and mail ballot return locations, see our 2026 polling sites and mail ballot guide.
Sources
- NYC Board of Elections, Ranked Choice Voting for NYC Local Elections — vote.nyc/RankedChoiceVoting
- NYC Board of Elections, Upcoming Elections 2026 — vote.nyc/elections
- NYC Board of Elections, June 2026 Primary Election — vote.nyc/page/june-2026-primary-election
- New York State Board of Elections — elections.ny.gov
