Ranked Choice Voting in New York City: A Retrospective

Advocates for ranked choice voting (RCV) have long upheld its benefits for democratic practice, including its ability to guarantee a majority winner, increase competition among candidates, and increase civility between candidates. In June, nearly one million New Yorkers voted in the primary for mayor and all other city offices, making it the largest and most diverse application of RCV in an election to-date. With clarity of hindsight and on the heels of the general election in New York City, join Democracy Funders Network, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement, and Philanthropy New York for a pragmatic look at how RCV played out in the primary.

Funders will review exit poll data on voters’ experience with RCV and hear speakers reflect on the impact of RCV on the culture of the election, including candidate behavior, media coverage, and the voter experience (particularly among communities facing more barriers to participation). Using this historic election as a jumping off point, donors will be able to reflect on some of the nuances of implementing structural democracy reform and the implications of those nuances on a broader democracy reform agenda.

Speakers:

• Mary Meyn, Vice President, Edison Research
• Micah Lasher, Campaign Manager, Stringer for Mayor
• Sally Goldenberg, City Hall Bureau Chief, POLITICO New York
• Sandra Lobo, Executive Director, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition

Our events are for funders supporting organizations in the democracy space. If you’re not a funder, please email Carly Straus (carly@thirdplateau.com) to discuss your participation before registering.

Sponsored by:

• Democracy Funders Network (DFN) is a cross-ideological learning and action community for donors concerned about the health of American democracy.
• Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE )is a philanthropic laboratory for funders seeking to maximize their impact on democracy and civic life in America
• Philanthropy New York is a regional association of grantmakers that develops forward-thinking guidance and programming to address the unique challenges of philanthropy and convenes funders to strengthen ties across the sector.