In one of the most closely watched Democratic mayoral primaries in recent history, voters in New York City are casting their ballots today, June 24. Early voting for the race started on June 14 and will be decided by ranked-choice voting.

Voters can rank up to five candidates in order of preference under the ranked-choice system. The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and the ballots are redistributed according to the voters' subsequent preferences if no candidate receives more than 50% of the first-choice votes. Until a candidate receives a majority, this process keeps going. 

This year's primary features eleven Democratic candidates, with two front-runners emerging: State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo, who served as the state's governor from 2011 to 2021, has remained ahead in recent polls thanks to his well-known name, the support of important unions, and significant financial contributions, including as much as $5 million from organizations that support former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has endorsed Mamdani, a progressive lawmaker. During her campaign, she advocated for policies like free public transportation and a citywide rent freeze. Mamdani performs well in simulated ranked-choice runoffs and has accelerated in the last stages of the race, despite trailing in first-choice polling.

City Comptroller Brad Lander, former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, and New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams are other prominent candidates who are actively involved in the campaign.

Recent polling indicates that Cuomo is ahead in first-choice preferences, but after lower-ranked candidates are eliminated and their votes are redistributed, Mamdani might surpass him in the final rounds. 

Given the overwhelmingly Democratic makeup of the New York City electorate, it is generally anticipated that the victor of today's primary will be elected mayor of the city following the general election in November.

A final winner might not be announced immediately, but preliminary results will be shared throughout the evening. Because of the nature of ranked-choice voting, the results will be determined by voters' rankings of the remaining candidates in addition to their first-choice votes. BET will be following the results closely.