nytimes extremely detailed map of 2016 election

Unpacking the Patterns of Inactive Ballots in New York City's 2021 Ranked Choice Voting Election

New York City's recent ranked choice voting (RCV) election has generated significant interest and debate among political observers. One aspect that has garnered particular attention is the phenomenon of inactive ballots, which were a major component of the vote count for both the mayor and comptroller races. This article will explore the patterns of inactive ballots in these elections and how they relate to the overall outcome.

In 2019, New York City voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum that adopted RCV for municipal primary elections. This year's election saw the first use of this system in a major city-wide contest. The results were notable, with Eric Adams ultimately emerging as the winner in both the mayor and comptroller races. However, a significant number of ballots were rendered inactive during the vote count process.

The maps on this page display the patterns of inactive ballots in the final round of the RCV tally for both mayor and comptroller, by election district. The data shows that areas where Adams and Garcia did well had relatively few inactive ballots, while communities where Andrew Yang had strong support saw a greater proportion of inactive votes. This is significant because it runs counter to one of the claims made by RCV critics, who argued that ranked voting diluted the strength of Black or Latino voters.

In predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods, many ballots were included in the final count because they either supported Adams or Garcia, or did not rank them highly enough to be eliminated. This is in contrast to areas where Yang had strong support, where a larger proportion of ballots were rendered inactive when he was eliminated from the race.

The data also shows that the share of inactive votes was lower in 2021 than it was in previous elections. In the 2013 mayoral primary, for example, just over 59% of voters chose someone other than the winner. This year's election saw a share of inactive votes of just 57%.

Overall, the patterns of inactive ballots in New York City's 2021 RCV election are complex and multifaceted. While they may be a source of concern for some, they also reflect the unique features of ranked choice voting. By understanding these patterns, we can gain a better appreciation for how this system works and how it may shape the outcomes of future elections.

Nytimes extremely detailed map of 2016 election