On Tuesday, September 9, Common Cause/NY, the NYU McSilver Institute, the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, Citizens Union, and the CUNY Graduate Center convened a timely panel discussion on Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) and its impact on campaigning in New York City. Panelists included:

• Brad Lander, NYC Comptroller & former Mayoral candidate

• Scott Stringer, former NYC Comptroller & Mayoral candidate

• Vanessa Aronson, former City Council candidate

• Andrea Gordillo, former City Council candidate

Dr. Basil Smikle Jr., Professor of Practice and Director of the MS program in nonprofit management at Columbia University’s SPS, moderated the conversation. Additional remarks came from:

• Susan Lerner, Executive Director, Common Cause/NY and Chair, Rank the Vote NYC

• Rose Pierre-Louis, Executive Director, NYU McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research and Board Member, Rank the Vote NYC

• Grace Rauh, Executive Director, Citizens Union

• Steven Romalewski, Director, CUNY Mapping Service, Center for Urban Research at the CUNY Graduate Center

Video Recording

Why It Matters

In June, over 1 million New Yorkers ranked their choices for Mayor, City Council, and Borough President — only the second time RCV was used in a Mayoral election. RCV allows voters to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. Studies show it reduces negative campaigning, prevents the “spoiler effect,” and encourages coalition building. This year’s election results confirm its success:

• 96% of voters said the ballot was simple to complete.

• 81% understood RCV extremely or very well.

• More than 75% want to keep or expand RCV in future elections.

Additional Resources

• The NYC Election Atlas, a project of the Urban Mapping Service at CUNY Graduate Center’s Center for Urban Research