NYC Mayoral Polls 2025: New York City heads to the mayoral elections on Tuesday, November 4th. It will be the first opportunity for voters to pass judgment on President Donald Trump’s second administration in the United States.
Polls suggest a tight race for NYC mayor between Democrat Zohran Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (independent) and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Read also | NYC Mayoral Election Live: Mamdani Criticizes Trump For Spending $300M On Ballroom
The election – widely seen as a test of voter sentiment ahead of next year’s midterms – turned out to be a major clash of ideologies. The campaign on all sides was marked by heated debates, large endorsements and a surge in early voting in all five boroughs.
The mayor of NYC is the city’s chief executive officer who oversees about 40 city agencies and commissions and is responsible for preparing and administering the city’s annual budget.
The mayor of New York is elected by citywide popular vote. Here is the basic information about the whole process:
1- Election cycle
The mayor of New York is elected for four years.
-Elections are held in odd-numbered years (2001, 2025).
-Elections are held today, November 4th
2- Primary elections
-New York City first used party primaries
-Each political party (Democrat, Republican) holds a primary election in June to select a candidate for the mayoral polls.
-Starting in 2021, New York’s primaries are held using ranked-choice voting (RCV), which gives voters the option to rank up to five candidates according to their preferences, rather than selecting 1.
3- Election day
– Winners of each party’s primary (plus independents) compete in a general election, one held today. The three candidates in the fray are:
1) Zohran Mamdani — Democratic candidate and state assemblyman from Astoria, Queens.
Read also | 2025 NYC mayoral polls: Date, time, key candidates, how voters can cast their ballots
2) Andrew Cuomo — former governor of New York running as an independent
3)Curtis Sliwa — Republican candidate and founder of Guardian Angels
-Results are decided by simple majority. This means that whoever gets the most votes in the entire city becomes the mayor.
4- What is Ranked-Choice Voting?
RCV, or Ranked-Choice Voting, means that voters can rank multiple candidates in order of preference, rather than choosing just one.
NYC Mayoral Polls 2025: RCV, or Ranked-Choice Voting, means voters can rank multiple candidates in order of preference, rather than choosing just one.
You can rank up to five candidates in New York (1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, 4th and 5th).
5 – How does it work?
First round: All first choice votes are counted. If any candidate gets more than 50%, they win outright.
6- What if nobody gets 50 percent?
If no candidate receives the required 50 percent of the vote, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.
This process continues, with the lowest rated candidate being eliminated in each round and votes being redistributed to the next preferred candidate in each round. Rounds continue until one candidate receives more than 50 percent of the active vote.
7- What does RCV matter?
RCV is said to encourage coalition building and less negative campaigning as candidates also seek to become voters’ second or third choice. It also gives more weight to voter preferences and reduces the “spoiler” effect.
The RCV voting process played a major role in the 2021 NYC mayoral race, where Eric Adams (Democrat) won after several rounds of counting.
8- Who votes to elect the mayor of NYC?
In the New York City mayoral election, voters are primarily registered residents of the city who meet specific eligibility criteria.
Read also | NYC mayoral election: From banks to post offices, what’s open and what’s closed
An eligible voter must be:
– Be a resident of New York (one of the five boroughs – Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx or Staten Island) for at least 30 days prior to the election.
– Be at least 18 years old on election day.
-Be registered to vote by the state registration deadline.
-Not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction (in New York, people on parole can vote after completing parole).
-Not be declared mentally unfit to vote by a court.
9- Are voters voting for someone else?
New York voters don’t just elect a mayor during a mayoral election year. Several other city and local officials also vote on the same ballot.
A typical NYC mayoral election vote includes the following:
–Mayor: Head of city government, overseeing all city agencies, budgets, and policies.
–Public defender: It acts as a watchdog over city authorities and investigates public complaints.
–Controller: The financial director of the city is also elected. The person controls agencies, manages pension funds and oversees spending.
Read also | Cuomo opposes Trump’s endorsement ahead of New York’s mayoral race
–Offices at the district level (5 districts): Borough Presidents (one for each: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island).
These office holders influence land use planning, budget recommendations and community affairs and are often stepping stones to higher offices. Many former borough presidents have become mayors or members of Congress).
–Members of the City Council: Up to 51 members elected from districts across NYC in mayoral elections. These representatives make local laws, approve budgets and hold the mayor accountable.
