Today, our friends across the Hudson River are heading to the polls for New York City's third ranked-choice voting (RCV) election. While the final results won't be known immediately, here are three key things we're watching:

1. Record-breaking candidate numbers: NYC continues to see a record number of candidates running for local office. In 2021, this surge in candidates engaged more New Yorkers and led to the highest primary election turnout in 30 years. Despite the heatwave, early voting has already crushed previous records.
2. Results will take time: We likely won't have final results tonight. This isn't a flaw in RCV; in fact, 79% of jurisdictions with RCV release preliminary results within 24 hours. New York City's process requires waiting a week for all absentee ballots to arrive before tabulating RCV results. While this delay should be improved, it's far better than the costly, low-turnout runoff election three weeks later NYC used to use.
3. Smarter campaigning: Candidates are adapting to RCV with new tactics like coalition-building and cross-endorsements. Most are encouraging voters to rank other candidates and use all five available ranking spots. Wondering why? We explain in our new video:

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Inspired by the progress in NYC? You can bring positive change to our community, too. Whether you're interested in passing a local resolution for RCV or boosting our social media presence, we need your help.