In the special election for New York City Council District 24, voters could rank up to five candidates in preferential order. This election method, used for the first time in NYC elections, is known as Ranked Choice Voting (RCV).
However, it did not preclude James Gennaro from winning the special election on the first count with a simple majority. Unofficial results show Gennaro has an insurmountable lead with more than 59% of the 5,561 ballots counted as of February 10. Absentee ballots are still being certified but are not expected to significantly change the results from election night.
District 24 covers Electhchester and eastern Queens. Eight candidates vied to replace Councilmember Rory Lancman, who was appointed NYS Special Counsel for Ratepayer Protection by Governor Andrew Cuomo in November 2020.
Gennaro, who was endorsed by Local 3, served as the Councilman from 2002-2013. Then he was appointed by Gov. Cuomo to serve as the deputy commissioner for the New York Stability and Resiliency at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. According to his interview with QNS.com, Gennaro’s current agenda focuses on three issues: the city budget that will be finalized in June, climate change and the city’s “green” infrastructure, and small businesses impacted by COVID-19.
Ranked Choice Voting will be used in the special elections in Council District 31 on February 23, Districts 11 and 15 on March 23, and all municipal primaries (including District 24) in June.
