Queens voters say ranked-choice is as easy as one, two, three...four, five

Queens voters reported few problems with ranked-choice voting on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.  Eagle photo by Jacob Kaye

By Jacob Kaye

Queens voters headed to the polls on a gloomy Tuesday to cast ballots for what they hope will be a brighter future for the borough and the city. 

It was the first true test of ranked-choice voting and it came during an incredibly consequential election. There are over 100 candidates running for City Council in the borough, several Civil Court judge candidates and several more for borough president. Citywide, voters cast ballots for mayor, comptroller and public advocate. 

Queens voters told the Eagle Tuesday that they feel this year’s primary election offers the city a chance to take a new direction on a host of issues including income inequality, crime and police reform. 

Even though many voters said they didn’t understand ranked-choice voting before heading the polls, few voters reported issues understanding the new system. Many said it was intuitive and that poll workers were helpful when questions arose. 

Though turnout appeared low at several sites in Queens, most reported a steady stream of voters trickling in and out. At Woodside Community School, voters said they checked-in, cast a ballot and left in less than 10 minutes early Tuesday morning. The same was true for early morning voters at P.S. 29 in College Point and P.S. 150 in Sunnyside.

But at other poll sites, the day got off to a bit of a rocky start. 

“I walked in and they were still unpacking stuff and they seemed really frazzled,” said C.J. Bretillon, the first voter to arrive at P.S. 112 in Long Island City. “They weren’t ready at 6 a.m. at all. It took a while.”

Bretillon, who hung around the poll site after voting to distribute campaign literature for a friend, said that the site was relatively quiet during its earliest hours. 

Those who did show up though, didn’t seem too clued in on some of the more local races. 

“A lot of [voters] said, ‘Well, for mayor I feel pretty good about my choice, but I’m not really sure about City Council,” Bretillon said. 

The same wasn’t true for a handful of voters P.S. 70 in Astoria, a site that saw a little over 100 voters before 8 a.m.  

“Everyone really seems to be into the local City Council race,” said Mike Horn, a campaign worker with Mayoral Candidate Scott Stringer’s campaign. “That seems to be most of the ground game here.”

Daniel Rudolf, a member of Michael Goldman’s campaign for Queens Civil Court Judge, agreed. 

“In this district, people are paying more attention to the City Council race,” he said. 

‘I voted with my heart’

A number of voters at P.S. 70 said they were excited to vote in races that featured a diverse group of candidates, many of them with progressive values. 

“I think there’s a decent batch of progressives this year,” said voter Max Suski. “I voted with my heart first and strategy second.”

Deborah Depinto said that this election was “personal” for her. Both of her parents work in New York City government and suffered from job loss and pay cuts during the pandemic. In addition to casting her votes with the city’s pandemic recovery front and center, Depinto said she was excited to see so many women on her lengthy ballot. 

“I was looking forward to voting for so many female candidates,” Depinto said. 

Elsewhere in the Western Queens neighborhood, voters said picking candidates who’ve taken a strong stance on crime was the most important. 

Robert Moore, a recently retired NYS fraud inspector, said that rising crime rates were his biggest concern this election cycle. Casting a ballot at P.S. 234 in Astoria, he said he wanted to elect candidates that would reverse the “disastrous” bail reform measures and crack down on shootings in the city. 

Some voters said that the city’s affordability and livability guided their decisions at the polls. 

“Some of the buildings going up around here, I couldn’t afford to live here anymore if I was just moving here,” said Ruth Seigel, who also said she voted for candidates who prioritized small businesses. 

‘I’m all for it’

Despite warnings from a group of lawmakers in Queens, including Councilmembers I. Daneek Miller and Adrienne Adams in the lead up to the election, voters said that ranked-choice voting was easy enough to understand.

“It’s great, I appreciate [RCV],” said Steven Sacco, a voter at P.S. 101 in Forest Hills. “It’s more democratic and it gives people more of a say in who gets elected.”

The new system, which allows voters to rank their top five choices in order, passed as a ballot measure in 2019. Though it’s been two years since its passage, some voters said they went to the polls with little idea as to how it actually worked. 

“I think it was kind of easy though I wasn’t expecting it to be,” said Kieran Callihan, a voter in Astoria. 

For some voters, the new system took pressure off selecting the perfect candidate or having to strategize their vote and maximize its influence. 

“I didn’t have to be so strategic,” said Richard Hughes, a 58-year-old Astoria resident. “I was willing to vote for the person I actually wanted instead of anticipating who was ahead in the polls.”

Blakely Shaw, a former poll worker, said that RCV asks more from the voter but ultimately will pay off. 

“It demands more of voters – it requires you to be more informed,” Shaw said. “I think people are going to be less afraid of throwing away their votes.”

What comes next

The Board of Elections released preliminary, unofficial results Tuesday night – read about the initial tally in tomorrow’s edition of the Eagle – based only on the first ranks of ballots cast in-person early and on Election Day. 

Over 66,200 absentee ballots were requested by Queens voters, more than any other borough in the city. None of the absentee ballots or affidavit ballots will be counted in the preliminary tally. 

On June 29, the BOE will release preliminary, unofficial results based on RCV tabulation of the in-person ballots, again not including absentee ballots. 

On July 6, the BOE will complete and release an updated tally including the absentee ballots received at that point. 

About a week later, on July 12, the BOE expects to release and certify the results of the primary election.

Additional reporting by Rachel Vick and Jeffery Harrell.