CGR Study Examines Potential Impact of Voting Reform in New York State

CGR studied the potential impact of a “Final Five” voting system in New York State, at the request of the League of Women Voters of the Rochester Metro Area. Final Five vote combines open primaries with ranked-choice voting of up to five candidates per race in the general election.

Advocates of the Final Five system claim it will increase competition in elections by allowing more candidates in the general election (5, up from the usual 2 currently) and reward candidates who run the best campaigns that appeal to the most general election voters.

CGR conducted a process-oriented, non-partisan assessment of races in 10 New York counties – Albany, Erie, Kings, Monroe, New York (Manhattan), Onondaga, St. Lawrence, Suffolk, Tompkins and Westchester – from 2020 to 2023. We found 88% of primaries would have been eliminated under Final Five voting, as there were fewer than 5 candidates. In addition, in areas where one political party dominates, such as predominantly Democratic cities, contests that have sometimes been effectively decided by a smaller number of voters in closed party primaries would likely instead be decided by a broader base of voters in general elections. Access the complete report at: https://bit.ly/NYPrimaryImpact. To discuss further, please contact Kieran Bezila.

August 8, 2024 CGR Briefs Edition