SCO Hosts NYC Ranked Choice Voting Webinar

In anticipation of NYC’s upcoming primary election on June 22nd, SCO Family of Services co-hosted a webinar with Queens Community House, The Hope Program and NYC Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit to inform staff and community members about Ranked Choice Voting. Ranked Choice Voting is a new system of voting in which you can rank up to five candidates in order of preference. SCO Vice President of Government Affairs Theresa Hassler moderated the event with guest presenter Fidel Malena, Project Manager of DemocracyNYC, part of the Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement. DemocracyNYC’s role is to increase voter participation and promote civic engagement.

The discussion kicked off with a brief history of voting rights in the United States and New York and touched on some of the most recent laws passed in the state that impact voting. There was a review of important dates related to the upcoming election before delving into the main topic, Ranked Choice Voting – what it is and how it works.

Ranked Choice Voting will be used for the first time in New York City for the June 22nd primary and can be confusing for those who aren’t familiar with it. The webinar explained the benefits of Ranked Choice Voting and gave examples illustrating how it works. Participants left the webinar with a much better understanding of Ranked Choice Voting that will help them when they cast their votes in the coming election. If you weren’t able to attend the webinar, you can still see it on SCO’s Facebook page.

Thanks to our co-hosts Queens Community House, The Hope Program and NYC Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit.

For helpful, easy-to-understand information about Ranked Choice Voting as well as a variety of voting topics, go to voting.nyc

Important NYC Primary Voting Dates:
May 28, 2021 – Voter Registration Deadline
June 12, 2021 – June 20, 2021 – Early Voting
June 15, 2021 – Absentee ballot request deadline
June 22, 2021 – Primary Election Day