Austin's toyed with ranked choice for years. Why the system, recently used in NYC, hasn't been used here.

On June 24, voters in New York City ranked the candidates for mayor on their primary election ballots. The process led to progressive Zohran Mamdani earning the Democratic nomination for Mayor of New York City. In Texas this system, called ranked choice voting, was approved by Austin voters in 2021 following a successful proposition initiative. The city also considered adopting the system in 2001. But why hasn't Austin used it yet? Blame state law.

Analysis: Ranked Choice Voting Gave New Yorkers More Choice, More Voice

Last month, New Yorkers used ranked choice voting to choose nominees for mayor, City Council, and other offices. This article explores the key takeaways from the preliminary ranked choice results in New York City and an exit poll by SurveyUSA.

As explained in the article above, ranked choice voting was approved by Austin voters in 2021 for municipal elections,but has not been used because of state law.

June 2025: A tale of two primaries and runoffs

Two primaries are discussed in this article: one in Georgia and one in New York City. The contrasts are explained between a ranked choice voting primary (NYC) and one that requires a runoff for candidates who do not get 50% of the votes (Georgia). Texas is similar to Georgia in voting systems for primaries.