Central Park 5’s Yusef Salaam scores cross endorsement in Harlem council race from NYC Assemblyman Al Taylor
Two Democratic candidates running for the Harlem Council seat, Yusef Salaam and Assemblyman Al Taylor, have cross-endorsed each other under the new ranked choice voting system. The move is seen as an effort to thwart the third candidate in the Democratic primary, Assemblywoman Inez Dickens. Salaam, one of the defendants exonerated in the Central Park 5 rape case, and Taylor, both urged their supporters to rank each other as their second choice on the ballot. Ranked choice counting is used if the first place candidate gets less than 50% of the primary vote. This is the second election cycle where the Board of Elections will consider second and third candidates’ preferences. Early voting begins on June 17th and runs through June 25th ahead of Election Day on June 27th.
During a Harlem press conference, Taylor introduced Salaam as “my second” and urged his supporters to rank Salaam second on their ballots. However, Taylor denied claims that he is undermining the campaign of Assemblywoman Inez Dickens in favor of Salaam.
The race is seen as an open seat, with two front runners, Dickens and Salaam, after incumbent Councilwoman Kristin Richardson Jordan announced she was not seeking re-election.
FAQs:
What is ranked choice voting?
Ranked choice voting is a system where voters rank each candidate by preference. If one candidate doesn’t get at least 50% of the primary vote, the ranked choice counting system comes into play.
How does ranked choice counting work?
The candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed based on the next preference of each of their voters who had ranked someone else second. This process is repeated until one candidate receives at least 50% of the vote.
When does voting begin?
Early voting begins on June 17th and runs through June 25th ahead of Election Day on June 27th.
Who are the candidates running for the Harlem Council seat?
The Democratic candidates running for the Harlem Council seat are Yusef Salaam, Assemblyman Al Taylor, and Assemblywoman Inez Dickens.
NYC Assemblyman Al Taylor endorses Yusef Salaam of Central Park 5 for Harlem council race
Two Democratic candidates competing for the same council seat in Harlem, Yusef Salaam and Assemblyman Al Taylor, have cross-endorsed each other under the new ranked choice voting system. The move is seen as an effort to ward off their third competitor in the Democratic primary, Assemblywoman Inez Dickens and seems to favor Salaam. Ranked choice counting will be used if the first-placed candidate gets less than 50% of the primary vote. Taylor introduced Salaam as his “second” at a press conference in Harlem. The early voting begins on June 17, running through to June 25, ahead of the election on June 27.