A weekly election newsletter from THE CITY ✔️

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Dear New Yorkers,

The pools are closed, school is back and there’s a lot to know from the not-so-quiet, post-primary summer.

Yes, the RANKED CHOICES newsletter is back — but remember, actual ranked choice voting is not back in November. Voting in the general election will be done via the traditional method: choosing only your top-choice candidate.

Are you ready? Early voting is seven weeks away. At THE CITY, we’ll cover both the characters and the issues in the final weeks of the campaign. We’re also co-hosting the official debates for the comptroller and mayoral races.

And, as always, we’re here to answer as many reader questions about voting, local elections and how city politics works. Below, we’re kicking off with five great queries from readers sent to us over the summer.

But first, what happened on the trail since the June primaries? Here’s a cheat sheet:

  • After losing by 13% in the primary, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo decided in July to run as an independent. Some of the city’s wealthiest residents tried to unite behind any candidate to prevent Asm. Zohran Mamdani from winning. 
  • Another independent candidate, Jim Walden, dropped out. But his name will still be on the ballot.
  • Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa released his first TV ad this week, focused on safety and starring his wife Nancy.
  • Mayor Eric Adams, also running independently, has swatted back stories and suggestions he drop out of the race to unify support against Mamdani. He’s also dropped his bid to run on two different third-party lines as he continues to poll in the single digits. Oh, and one of his top aides handed me a bag of potato chips with $300 in it.
  • Mamdani organized a big scavenger hunt, rallied with Sen. Bernie Sanders in Brooklyn and told supporters to stop sending money because he hit the fundraising maximum allowed by law.
  • And finally, despite a push by the City Council to remove some of them, five charter revision questions will be on your ballot in November.

Also, a bit of housekeeping: You’re receiving this on a Thursday, but going forward through Election Day, this newsletter will be hitting your inbox on Tuesday afternoons.

Share it with your friends and spread the word and if you have any questions, let us know by emailing ask@thecity.nyc or replying to this message! 

— Katie Honan and THE CITY’s Election Team

Your Election Questions, Answered.

Have a question for our election team? Reply back to this email or send your questions to ask@thecity.nyc.

❓Reader Sumana H. asked: Could any of the mayoral candidates leave the ballot before November?

Answer: This is a live question. Earlier today, a judge heard from former independent candidate Walden, who was unsuccessful earlier in the week petitioning the Board of Elections to remove his name from the ballot. If other candidates wanted to leave the ballot (Adams, perhaps), they may run into the same roadblocks.

❓Readers Arthur D. and Ed P. asked: If no one gets a true majority (50% or more) of the vote, then who wins?Is there a minimum threshold needed to win? Could there be a run-off?

Answer: The candidate with the most votes in the general election wins, even if they do not get 50% of the vote. Whoever wins a plurality of votes is the winner. And no, there is no minimum threshold needed to win so there wouldn’t be a run-off.

❓Reader Carol H. asked: Aren’t there Republicans running for comptroller? I don’t see any listed.

Answer: Yes, there is a Republican nominee for comptroller, lawyer Peter Kefalas. He won June’s primary with more than 60% of the vote. He’s up against Democratic nominee Mark Levine, who currently serves as Manhattan borough president. (Wait, what’s a comptroller again? Read our guide on that.)

❓Reader F.R. asked: Where does Mayor Adams get his customized baseball caps made — the ones emblazoned with ‘Mayor Adams’ or ‘Stay Focused, No Distractions’? Inquiring minds want to know!

Answer: I love this question, which I’ve wondered about myself for a long time! I’ve asked several times and City Hall never thinks I’m serious! (F.R., if and when I get an update, you’ll be the first to know.)

THE CAMPAIGN KICKER: Have you heard? New York’s hottest club is the new hearing rooms in the City Council — bigger, brighter and replete with outlets and a bottle-refill station.

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