Queens assemblyman prepares bill to break down ranked-choice voting results
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Queens Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal will introduce legislation that would require the New York City Board of Elections to report full candidate rankings in municipal elections. Photo via Assembly
By David Brand
A Queens assemblymember is set to introduce legislation that would require the New York City Board of Elections to report full candidate rankings in municipal elections, even if someone wins an outright majority under the new ranked-choice format.
Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal’s legislation would have applied to the city’s first use of ranked-choice voting — a February special contest in his home council district.
The Feb. 2 special election saw Jim Gennaro reclaim his old Council District 24 seat with a commanding first-ballot majority. Rosenthal had considered entering that race but chose not to run.
Rosenthal said his measure would foster “trust and transparency” in ranked-choice voting, which took effect this year after voters approved its introduction via a 2018 ballot measure.
"When the ranked choice system was overwhelmingly approved, there was an expectation that the process would become more open and a plurality of voices would be heard,” Rosenthal said. “This legislation would help to achieve that goal as well as foster greater voter engagement and participation by giving New Yorkers the full scope of the electorate."
The new format allows voters to rank their top five candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, the last-place finisher is eliminated and voters who picked that candidate will have their second choice tallied. That process will continue until one candidate receives a majority of the vote.
The city’s second ranked-choice election took place in Queens Council District 31 on Feb. 23. The NYCBOE has not yet reported the results and said Tuesday that they will begin counting absentee and affidavit ballots on March 16.
The NYCBOE did not provide a response to this story.
Election attorney Sarah Steiner said Rosenthal’s legislation is a good idea, but she said she thought the BOE would eventually turn over the ranked results in all races, including contests where one candidate receives a first-ballot majority.
“I would love to see the ranked-choice rate reported out. It was my impression that the Board was going to do that,” Steiner said.
Reporting has been delayed, however, due to opposition to ranked-choice voting by Republican BOE commissioners who have refused to sign off on new vote-counting software, she said.
“There isn’t really a way to do it immediately, but there will be when the software is approved,” she said.
