When to expect results on NYC mayor's race
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New York's Democratic primary mayoral election is a neck-and-neck race between former Governor Andrew Cuomo and surging progressive Zohran Mamdani. Photo by Yuki Iwamura-Pool/Getty Images
This year's New York Democratic primary mayoral election is being closely watched nationwide, but the winner might not be clear for a few weeks.
Why it matters: The race for control of the United States' most populous city is a neck and neck competition between former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and surging progressive Zohran Mamdani – and it might remain tight for a while.
State of play: Even though a frontrunner could emerge after polls close, New York City residents – and anyone else tuned into this year's race – might be stuck sitting on their hands.
- Early voting finished on Sunday, and Election Day is Tuesday, June 24. Polls are open from 6am to 9pm on Tuesday and unofficial first choice results come in after the polls close.
- The unofficial results include ballots from Election Day, early voting, and mail-in voting.
- If no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote, the election – which is New York City's second election cycle with ranked-choice voting – transitions into elimination rounds.
With ranked choice, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated first.
- Voters who ranked the eliminated candidate first have their second choice counted. If a voter's first and second choices are eliminated, their vote is counted for their next choice, and so on.
- That process continues until a candidate secures 50% of votes.
Preliminary, non-certified results come out a week after the election, according to New York City's Board of Elections.
- Reports will be released every week until the election is certified, per the Board of Elections.
- That process could take a few weeks, as was the case with New York City's last mayoral primary.
- Even if the official results aren't out for weeks, the winner will likely become increasingly clear as they inch closer to 50% of the vote.
The final results won't be certified until all votes are counted, which include early mail, absentee, military, affidavit and emergency ballots.
Zoom out: With President Trump's re-election close in the rearview, many view the New York City mayoral race – "the second toughest job in America" – as a crossroads for the Democratic Party.
- Cuomo, despite resigning as governor in 2021 because of a sexual harassment scandal, has been the frontrunner. A group of Democrats who called for his resignation in 2021 now endorse his mayoral bid.
- Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has quickly become the face of the party's progressive wing, championing rent freezes, city-run grocery stores, and free public transit.
- The final major, precursory independent poll, from Emerson College, saw Mamdani surpassing Cuomo in the last round of its voting simulation, a departure from earlier polls that demonstrated Cuomo's clear lead.
