Ranked Choice Voting.
Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) enables voters to rank candidates in order of preference instead of choosing just one. The result is elections that reflect what voters actually want, candidates who have to earn broad support—not just appeal to the loudest voices—and winners who earn a majority of votes.
What is Ranked Choice Voting?
Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) enables voters to rank candidates first, second, third, and so on, or a voter can still choose a single candidate. If a candidate wins more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win outright. If no one reaches a majority, the last-place candidate is eliminated and their voters' next choices are counted. The process continues until one candidate has majority support. This gives voters more choices and more voices, without the fear of "wasting" their vote.
RCV is already working in New York. New York City has now used it in three municipal election cycles, and exit polling shows voters understand it, use it, and want to keep it. The Town of Newburgh adopted RCV in 2025 after voters challenged an at-large system that diluted their voices.
How We Got Here
In much of New York, the primary is the most important election. When the outcome of a general election is effectively decided by a low-turnout primary, voters disengage and competition disappears. New York consistently ranks among the lowest states in voter turnout, and a growing share of New Yorkers say they're considering leaving the state altogether.
In general elections with three or more candidates, voters often face a hard choice: vote for the candidate they actually prefer, or vote for the candidate they think can win. This is the "spoiler effect," and it artificially suppresses support for independent and third-party candidates. RCV resolves that tension. Voters can rank their true first choice without worrying about handing victory to the candidate they like least.
Why It's A Problem
- Candidates currently cater to party extremes
Under the current system, candidates have strong incentives to appeal to the most committed voters in their party's primary rather than the broader electorate, leading to increased polarization. - Few voters participate in the process
In recent state primaries, more than 85% of eligible voters stayed home. The candidates who advance under those conditions aren't necessarily the ones who reflect the broadest support—they're the ones who turned out a narrow slice of the base. - Ranked choice voting broadens engagement
When candidates need to be ranked highly by a wide range of voters, they have to make their case to a broader portion of the electorate. That rewards coalition-building over polarization and accomplishment over attack. Turnout tells the story: when New York City first used RCV in 2021, primary turnout was the highest in over 30 years. - Builds greater voter confidence
In elections that use Ranked Choice Voting, candidates have to receive more than 50% of total votes. Election outcomes better reflect the will of the majority, increasing voter confidence.
What Has To Happen
New York City has demonstrated that RCV works at scale, but there’s opportunity for expansion. Citizens of cities and towns across New York can petition their local governments to adopt nonpartisan RCV for municipal elections. Unite NY is working alongside coalition partners to support those efforts.
A central piece of this work is voter education. RCV familiarity varies widely across the state. Closing that gap is essential to building durable support.
Unite NY's 2026 Voter Empowerment Index shows that a plurality of New Yorkers already support expanding RCV across the state—with strongest support among voters who have experienced it firsthand.
To learn more about how RCV works in New York City, visit the NYC Board of Elections. For more information on RCV nationally, visit FairVote or Rank the Vote.