Dismal turnout for early voting in NYC

Very few people in New York City have taken advantage of early voting in the primary

The New York City Board of Elections says only about 44,000 voters have cast ballots in the first three days of early voting.  There are approximately 4.6 million registered voters in the city.

Early voting began on June 12, 2021, across the city.  Manhattan has seen the highest turnout with just under 14,000 ballots cast.  Brooklyn is slightly behind with about 13,500.

HOW DOES RANKED CHOICE VOTING WORK?

Only about 2,500 people have turned out on Staten Island.

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Early voting ends on June 20, 2021.

The primary will be held on June 22.  The local races on the primary ballow include New York City mayor, Comptroller, Public Advocate, City Council,  Borough Presidents, and the Manhattan District Attorney.

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All of the races except the D.A. race will use Ranked Choice Voting for the first time in the city.  Voters will be able to rank their top 5 choices for each race.

Ranked Choice is a method that eliminates candidates based on low rankings and a shuffling of votes for higher-ranked candidates until a winner is determined.  The candidate who gets the most first-place votes in the first round may end up losing the election in the system.

OPINION:  RANKED-CHOICE IN THE MAYORAL PRIMARY