The June 23, 2026 New York City primary is less than four weeks away, and for most citywide races on the ballot — Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough President, and City Council — voters will be handed a ballot that does not look like a federal ballot. Each office runs across a grid of five columns labeled 1st choice through 5th choice. Voters can rank up to five candidates in order of preference for each race. The New York City Board of Elections explains the system, and the City Charter authorizes it, but the mechanics that actually determine who wins are not on the ballot itself. They sit in the elimination rounds the Board runs after polls close.
This article walks through the strategic side of ranked-choice voting in NYC: how to think about ranking, the common ballot mistakes that cause votes to be discarded, how ballot exhaustion shapes who actually wins, and what the official results timeline looks like in June and July. It is meant for voters who already know the basics of how to fill out the ballot and want to use their ranks deliberately.
The rule that determines who wins
Under the New York City Board of Elections, all first-choice votes are counted first. If any candidate receives more than 50% of the first-choice votes, that candidate wins outright and no further rounds are needed. If no candidate clears 50%, counting continues in rounds. At the end of each round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Voters who ranked that candidate first now have their vote counted for their next-ranked choice. The process repeats until two candidates remain, and the candidate with the most votes at that point wins.
That 50% threshold is the line that decides whether ranks beyond your first matter at all in a given race. In a low-turnout primary with three or four serious candidates, it is common for no one to clear 50% in Round 1, which means second, third, fourth, and fifth choices become decisive. In a race with one dominant candidate, ranks 2 through 5 may never be counted because the leader wins Round 1 outright.
Which offices use RCV and which do not
Ranked-choice voting in NYC was added to the City Charter by a 2019 ballot measure that 73.5% of voters approved, according to the NYC Board of Elections. It applies to primary and special elections for Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough President, and City Council.
It does not apply to general elections, to judicial elections, or to state and federal offices. The Board of Elections specifically lists the offices that are not subject to RCV: President, Governor, US Senate, Surrogate, Supreme Court Judges, Civil Court Judges, District Attorney, Congress, State Senate, and Assembly. If a 2026 ballot includes any of these races alongside the citywide primaries, those races appear in the traditional single-choice format on the same ballot. A voter may need to switch mental modes mid-ballot.
Why ranking more candidates protects your vote
The decision a voter actually makes in the booth is not just who to rank first. It is how many candidates to rank. The Board of Elections is explicit that voters are not required to fill all five slots. A voter can rank one candidate and leave the rest blank, and that ballot will be counted. The trade-off is that if the single ranked candidate is eliminated, the ballot has no remaining preference to fall back on. That ballot is then considered exhausted and does not factor into later rounds.
Ballot exhaustion is the single most important concept for thinking about strategy in an RCV race. Every round that eliminates a candidate transfers some ballots to a next-choice. Ballots whose next choice is blank are set aside. By the final round, the share of original ballots still in play depends on how many voters ranked candidates who survived. A voter who ranks five candidates is mathematically far less likely to have their ballot exhausted before the final round than a voter who ranks one.
This is the operative answer to a common worry: ranking additional candidates does not hurt your first choice. The NYC Board of Elections states this directly. Only your first choice is counted in Round 1. Your second, third, fourth, and fifth choices are considered only if your higher-ranked candidates are eliminated. If your first choice wins, your other rankings never come into play.
Common mistakes that get votes discarded
The mechanics of the ballot create a small number of errors that can wipe out part of a vote. Each is well-documented by the Board of Elections.
The first is the over-vote. An over-vote happens when a voter fills in more than one oval in the same column — for example, ranking two different candidates as 1st choice. Under RCV rules, the Board of Elections states 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. A single over-vote in the 1st choice column nullifies the entire ranked vote for that office. An over-vote in the 3rd choice column nullifies the 3rd, 4th, and 5th rankings but preserves the 1st and 2nd.
The second is ranking the same candidate multiple times. Some voters assume that ranking a favorite candidate 1st, 2nd, and 3rd will give that candidate more weight. It does not. The Board of Elections is explicit that your vote can count only once for your first choice. Ranking the same candidate in multiple columns is treated as if those later columns were left blank. The strategic effect is identical to skipping those slots, which leaves the ballot more vulnerable to exhaustion.
The third is partially filled ovals. The optical scanners read fully filled ovals. Ovals that are checked, dotted, or only partially filled may not be read by the machine, which can render a ranking invalid.
The fourth, which the Board addresses in its accessible ballot guidance, is leaving gaps between ranks. There is no rule that voters must rank consecutively without skipping a column, but the Board encourages voters to fill ranks in order to minimize confusion and reduce the chance of an over-vote or a misread oval.
Write-in candidates under RCV
RCV does not eliminate write-ins. The Board of Elections instructs voters to write a candidate’s name on the “Write-in” line and fill in the oval to rank that choice. A write-in can be ranked in any column the voter chooses. The same over-vote and duplicate-ranking rules apply to write-ins as to printed candidates.
How the count is reported in June and July
RCV changes not just how votes are counted but when results are reported. The Board of Elections describes a sequence that voters should expect for any RCV race in the June 23 primary.
On the night of June 23, the Board posts unofficial first-choice results at the close of polls. Those results include first-choice votes from early voting, Election Day, and valid mail ballots that have been canvassed by that point. They do not include affidavit ballots, and they do not include any elimination rounds. If no candidate has more than 50% of first-choice votes on election night, no winner is declared.
One week later, the Board releases preliminary RCV elimination rounds in an unofficial report. That tally adds in mail ballots scanned before Election Day. The Board then runs preliminary RCV elimination rounds and releases updated reports weekly until the election is certified. The ranking of candidates can shift as additional mail and affidavit ballots are processed and as cure deadlines for defective mail ballots expire.
Final results in a ranked-choice election are not known until all ballots are counted, including early mail, absentee, military, affidavit, and emergency ballots. For voters who are used to a winner being declared on election night, this is the largest practical change RCV introduces. The June 23 primary winner in any non-majority race will not be official for weeks.
Strategic implications for the voter
Several practical principles follow from the rules above.
First, rank candidates the voter would be comfortable with as the eventual winner, in order of true preference. The Board’s design assumes that ranks reflect genuine preference. A voter who ranks a candidate they do not actually want, hoping to game elimination rounds, runs the risk that the candidate wins. There is no scenario in NYC RCV in which ranking a less-preferred candidate higher than a more-preferred candidate improves the outcome for the voter.
Second, ranking the maximum of five candidates maximizes the chance a voter’s ballot influences the final round. The cost is only that the voter has to think about candidates beyond their top one or two. The benefit is that the ballot stays alive through more rounds of elimination.
Third, in a field with one clear front-runner, second and later choices may not matter. In a field with no clear front-runner, they may decide the race. Voters who care about a specific race in the June 23 primary can look at independent polling to gauge whether the race is likely to be decided in Round 1 or to go multiple rounds. Polling is not authoritative, and the Board does not rely on it, but it can inform how much energy a voter puts into ranks 2 through 5.
Fourth, check the ballot in the booth before submitting. The most consequential mistakes — over-votes and duplicate rankings — are easy to make and easy to catch. NYC voting machines do not reject an over-voted ranked race, because under the Board’s rules the over-vote is counted as an invalidation of that rank and later ranks rather than a spoiled ballot. A voter who notices an over-vote before submitting can ask a poll worker for a new ballot.
How RCV interacts with early and mail voting
Every voting method available in the June 23 primary uses the same ranked-choice ballot for RCV-covered offices. Early voting runs from June 13 through June 21, 2026, at sites assigned by the NYC Board of Elections. Mail and absentee ballots can be requested through the Board’s online portal; the deadline to request a primary mail ballot online or by mail is June 13, and the in-person deadline is June 22. Election Day polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on June 23. For details on poll sites and ballot requests, see HelpNewYork’s polling site and early voting guide.
Voters using a mail or absentee ballot should pay particular attention to the over-vote rule. There is no machine in the kitchen to flag a duplicate marking, so the ballot must be checked by the voter before it is sealed. Mail ballots that contain over-votes are processed under the same rules as in-person ballots: the over-voted rank and all later ranks are invalidated.
What if I have already voted in a previous NYC RCV election?
The system in use in 2026 is the same one used in the 2021 primary, the first citywide test of RCV in New York, and in subsequent special elections. The 2019 charter amendment did not authorize any structural change to the elimination logic, and the Board of Elections has not changed the over-vote, duplicate, or exhaustion rules. A voter who has filled out an RCV ballot before will see the same column layout, the same five-rank limit, and the same write-in option.
Voters who want a refresher on how to physically mark the ballot can read the step-by-step RCV ballot walkthrough for the June 23 primary. The strategy material above is meant to complement that walkthrough, not replace it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to rank five candidates?
No. The NYC Board of Elections allows voters to rank as many or as few candidates as they like, up to five. Ranking only one candidate is permitted, but the ballot will be exhausted if that candidate is eliminated.
Does ranking a second-choice candidate hurt my first choice?
No. Only the first choice is counted in Round 1. Lower-ranked choices are only considered if the higher-ranked candidate is eliminated.
What is an over-vote and what happens if I make one?
An over-vote is when a voter fills in more than one oval in the same ranking column. Under NYC Board of Elections rules, the over-vote causes the vote in that rank and all later ranks to be discarded for that office. A voter who notices an over-vote before submitting can request a new ballot from a poll worker.
Can I rank the same candidate more than once?
No. Ranking the same candidate in multiple columns is allowed but has no additional effect. The Board of Elections treats only the first ranking of that candidate as valid; later duplicate rankings are treated as if those columns were blank.
Which offices use ranked-choice voting in NYC?
RCV applies to primary and special elections for Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough President, and City Council. It does not apply to general elections, to state and federal offices, to judicial races, or to District Attorney elections.
When will the June 23, 2026 primary winners be declared?
Unofficial first-choice results are released the night of June 23. If no candidate has more than 50% of first-choice votes, preliminary elimination-round results are released one week later. The Board releases updated RCV tallies weekly until the election is certified. Final official results are not available until all mail, absentee, military, affidavit, and emergency ballots have been counted.
Can I write in a candidate on a ranked ballot?
Yes. Write the candidate’s name on the “Write-in” line and fill in the oval to rank that choice. Write-ins can be placed in any ranking column, but the same over-vote and duplicate rules apply.
Does ranked-choice voting apply in the November general election?
No. The 2019 charter amendment limited RCV to primary and special elections for the covered citywide offices. The November 3, 2026 general election will use the traditional single-choice ballot for every race.
Sources
- NYC Board of Elections, Learn about Ranked Choice Voting: 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 City Charter §1057-g, Ranked choice voting for certain primary elections and elections for which nominations were made by independent nominating petitions.
