New York City Elections 2021: What You Need to Know

2021 Dates to Remember

May 28: Deadline to register to vote in the June Primary Election
June 12 - 20: Early Voting for Primary Election
June 21: Deadline to request a mail-in ballot
June 22: Primary Election Day | Deadline to postmark mail-in ballot

2021 CWA District 1 Endorsements

Learn More About Some of Our Endorsed Candidates

You Have 3 Options for Voting

Vote By Mail: All registered voters can request an absentee ballot (under the "temporary illness" excuse; concern about COVID-19 is considered “temporary illness,” even if you have not been exposed). You can request a ballot at nycabsentee.com.

Once you receive your ballot, fill it out as soon as possible and return it by mail, or by dropping it at a polling site or your local Board of Elections office.

Your ballot MUST be postmarked by June 22.

During Early Voting: Saturday, June 12 - Sunday, June 20

On Election Day: Tuesday, June 22

New York Now Has Ranked Choice Voting!

Starting this year voters in New York City will be able to rank their top five candidates in order of preference instead of choosing just one.

How to fill out your ballot:

Completely fill in the oval next to your #1 candidate’s name under the 1st column.
If you have a second-choice candidate, fill in the oval next to their name under the 2nd column.
You can rank up to 5 candidates. You can still choose to vote for only one candidate if you prefer. Ranking other candidates does not harm your first choice.
Do not rank a candidate more than once.

If no candidate earns more than 50% of first-choice votes, then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. If your top-choice candidate is eliminated, your vote goes to your 2nd ranked candidate.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ranked Choice Voting

What is Ranked Choice Voting?
Ranked Choice Voting allows voters in New York City elections to rank candidates by preference instead of choosing just one.

How many candidates can I rank?
You can rank up to five candidates.

Do I have to rank five? What if I don't like five candidates?
You can rank as many as you'd like up to five candidates. If there's only one candidate you like, you can vote for them and only them. If you like only two, you can rank two, etc. While your vote is most powerful if you rank five candidates, it’s up to you how many candidates to rank!

Do not rank any candidate you don’t like and don’t want to give a vote to.

How are ranked choice ballots counted?
To win, a candidate must receive a majority of the total votes (50% + 1).

After all the votes are in, the first-choice votes will be tallied. If no candidate wins a majority, the last place candidate is eliminated. Each voter whose first choice candidate was eliminated will then have their second choice pick get their vote.

The process is repeated until there is a winner of the majority of votes.

Why did NYC change to Ranked Choice Voting?
Ranked Choice Voting makes sure that whoever is elected wins with a broad base of support and more than 50% of the vote. The winning candidate typically has strong first-choice support and receives many second and third-place votes.

Why should I rank the candidates?
More choice, more power! Even if your favorite candidate doesn’t win, you still have a say in who’s elected by ranking the candidates. Ranking a 2nd, 3rd, etc. choice will not hurt your #1 candidate.

How do I fill out my ballot?
Ranked Choice Voting is easy! Find the name of your first choice and fill in the oval next to their name in the “1st Choice” column. Then find the name of your second choice, and fill in the oval next to their name in the “2nd Choice” column, and so on. You can continue up to five.

Click here to download our Ranked Choice Voting flyer and FAQs.