Complete Guide To Voting In NYC Primary Elections

Voting day is here, and with it a new way to cast your ballot!

Today marks an important day for voters as it’s Primary Day! Though early voting has been taking place since June 12, registered voters can still go out and cast their votes today. Here’s a full guide to voting in NYC

Hours

Polling hours will run from 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. across all five boroughs.

Happy Election Day! Polls are open 6 a.m. – 9 p.m. Rank up to five candidates for Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough President, and City Council. Find your poll site: https://t.co/1nmP8G4Rva #VoteNYC pic.twitter.com/wh3aObkR2R

— NYC Board of Elections (@BOENYC) June 22, 2021

Where to vote NYC

You can find your polling place here. Simply add your address and zip code and your designated Election District (E.D.) and poll site will be listed, along with exact entrances for voters. You can even choose the option to preview a sample ballot before heading in to cast your vote.

What to bring

First time voters are required to give additional identification such as driver’s license number, last four digits of social security number, or non-driver’s ID number with their voter registration application.

Additionally, masks must be worn at all times in any Board of Elections facility.

Read here for step-by-step instructions on how to cast your vote on your at your poll site.

What’s on the NYC 2021 ballot

Cast your vote for:

Mayor
Comptroller
Borough President
City Council
Public Advocate

Mayoral Candidates:

Andrew Yang
Kathryn Garcia
Scott Stringer
Dianne Morales
Eric Adams
Maya Wiley
Shaun Donovan
Raymond McGuire
Curtis Sliwa
Paperboy Prince
Isaac Wright Jr.
Fernando Mateo
Joycelyn Taylor
Art Chang
Aaron Foldenauer

See a sample ballot here.

What is ranked-choice voting?

This newly introduced voting system for NYC will be used citywide for primary elections. This unique system gives voters the option to rank their five favored candidates by preference for Mayor, Comptroller, Borough President, City Council, and Public Advocate (1 being most favored and so on).

According to the NYC Board of Elections, if a candidate doesn’t have more than 50% of the first-choice vote after the initial count, a voters second ranked-choice will then be redirected as their candidate choice and the process of redistributing the ranked votes will continue until a candidate reaches over 50% of votes casted.

With this new way to cast your vote, the ballot will look a little different than previous years. Rankings will be made on a grid rather than a list and you can check here to practice filling out a ballot.

See how Mayor Bill de Blasio explained the system in easier terms with “Best NYC Pizza Toppings”

HAPPENING NOW: @NYCMayor walks New York City through how Ranked Choice Voting works with a controversial issue: pizza toppings.

Vote for your favorite topping (and watch yourself around @NYCMayor if you vote pineapple!) #DemocracyNYC

➡️ https://t.co/jmye0fYjz8 https://t.co/ZWpL4t96qu pic.twitter.com/WMGOtf26KK

— City of New York (@nycgov) June 10, 2021

It’s important to note that voters do not have to rank all five! However, ranked-choice voting is a good way to ensure that if your first choice candidate gets eliminated from the race, you’ll still have a say in the overall outcome of the election as your remaining ranked votes will then be taken into account.

Ranking your votes will not affect your first choice vote and voters cannot rank their first choice more than once.

Ranked-Choice Voting not only gives voters additional ways to share their voice, but will hopefully result in a fairer election outcome.

See here to learn more about the 2021 candidates.

featured image source: Twitter/ @NYCMayor