New York City could wait weeks for ranked choice mayoral primary results

With only ten days until early voting begins, eight Democratic candidates vying to be New York City's chief executive will take the debate stage in person for the first time Wednesday night. It’s a precursor to a first-of-its-kind race in the nation’s largest city. New York has adopted ranked choice voting and election officials say the final outcome won’t be known until weeks after polls close. It’s a reality some worry will further erode New York’s historically low turnout for city elections. "We don't know the impacts of ranked choice voting," said Hank Scheinkopf, a longtime New York political consultant. "We do know that when you fool with the voting system, you tend to disrupt behaviors that are learned, you tend to reduce turnout, and create confusion." When New Yorkers cast their ballots in the mayoral primary, they’ll list up to five choices for the city’s chief executive, instead of checking only one box as in elections past. Ranked-choice votes come into play if no candidate earns more than 50% of first-choice votes, which is probable for the crowded Democratic primary. Thirteen Democratic candidates will appear on the Democratic ballot, while two Republicans will appear on the GOP ballot. Then, vote counts take place in rounds with the last-place candidate eliminated in each round, allowing supporters of losing candidates to shift their support to their other choices. Rounds continue until a candidate has more than 50% of the vote.