Fixing the Rules So Voters, Not Insiders, Win

John Fund of the New York Post recently took aim at how ranked choice voting (RCV) has been used in New York City’s primaries, arguing in “Left’s Election Laws Engineered Zohran Mamdani’s Win” that the system was deliberately structured to favor progressives. Fund points out that RCV was used in the Democratic primary — but not in the general election — a selective setup that effectively ensured a victory for Mamdani. If RCV had been applied citywide in November, the result could have looked very different. His warning to voters was clear: “Pay much more attention to the rules of the game — and who is writing them.”

He’s right about that much. The rules do matter. But the problem isn’t ranked choice voting itself — it’s how narrowly it’s been applied. When only a fraction of voters are even allowed to participate, no voting system can deliver a fair outcome.

Unite NY board member Kahlil Byrd made this point in the New York Daily News recently, explaining that ranked choice voting without open primaries loses its power to reward candidates who appeal to the broad middle. RCV works best when participation is high and diverse, forcing candidates to seek second- and third-choice support beyond their base. But when only 20 to 25 percent of party members vote, excluding independents and late-engaging voters, elections reflect a narrow ideological sliver — not the broader city. He was discussing elections in New York City. In a smaller city like Albany, it is even more stark when only 12% of voters choose the mayor by voting in the primary.

That’s not democracy; that’s entrenchment. And it’s by design. Whether you’ve supported RCV or open primaries in the past, it’s time to see the bigger picture: New York’s election rules have been written to protect the status quo and reduce voter choice.

Unite NY is pushing to fix that. Its reform pillars — open primaries, ranked choice voting, term limits, citizen ballot initiatives and increased ballot access — would return power to the people. Together, they open the door for genuine competition, fresh ideas and leaders who actually reflect their communities.

If we want change in New York, we have to fix the process first. The current rules serve insiders. It’s time to rewrite them so the next election — and every one after — serves voters instead.