On a brisk November evening in 2025, New York City found itself in the national spotlight—not just for its closely watched mayoral race, but for a ballot that left many outsiders scratching their heads. As voters streamed into polling stations across the five boroughs on November 4, they encountered a peculiar sight: familiar names like Zohran Mamdani and Curtis Sliwa appearing more than once on the same ballot, while former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s name languished at the bottom right. The confusion, amplified by high-profile social media posts, quickly spiraled into a frenzy of online speculation about possible election fraud and backroom machinations. But as election experts and city officials have since clarified, the drama on the ballot was less a sign of scandal than a showcase of New York’s unique—and often misunderstood—election laws.
At the heart of the confusion was a practice called fusion voting, a system that’s all but extinct in most of the United States, yet alive and well in New York City, Oregon, and Connecticut. Fusion voting allows a candidate to be nominated by more than one political party, resulting in their name appearing in multiple places on the ballot. According to the Associated Press, this year’s mayoral contest saw Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani also listed under the Working Families Party, while Republican Curtis Sliwa appeared under both the Republican and Protect Animals parties. This wasn’t an error or a plot—it was simply the city’s longstanding tradition of coalition-building and minor party empowerment written into law.
"This occurs pretty frequently and it enables the Democratic candidate to get the votes of people who don’t normally vote for Democrats and Republicans to get the vote of people who don’t vote Republican etc.," explained Richard Briffault, a Columbia Law School professor specializing in election administration, in comments to the Associated Press. Fusion voting, he noted, has a storied past in New York, dating back to at least the mid-20th century, and was even instrumental in the growth of the abolitionist movement in the 19th century. Supporters of fusion voting argue that it strengthens minor parties, gives voters more nuanced choices, and encourages collaboration among parties that might otherwise split the vote and hand victory to an opponent neither truly supports.
Despite these historical roots, the sight of duplicated candidate names sparked a wave of conspiracy theories online. Billionaire Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter) and a former advisor to President Donald Trump, was among the most vocal critics. “The New York City ballot form is a scam!” Musk posted, highlighting the lack of required voter ID, the repetition of some candidates, and the low placement of Cuomo’s name. The post went viral, fueling speculation that city officials had stacked the deck against Cuomo, a Democrat-turned-independent, in favor of Mamdani. Yet as Mark Lindeman, policy and strategy director at Verified Voting, dryly noted, “Surely Elon Musk has people who could have looked this up for him.”
The reality, as election officials have explained, is far less sinister. Under New York State law, the order of parties on the ballot is determined by the number of votes their candidates received in the most recent gubernatorial election. This year, the Democratic Party was listed first, followed by the Republican, Conservative, and Working Families parties. Independent candidates, like Cuomo, are placed after recognized parties, in the order that they or their nominating body filed petitions. Cuomo’s new “Fight and Deliver” party was the fourth out of five independent parties to submit a nominating petition, earning him the eighth spot on the ballot. As Kathleen McGrath, a spokesperson for the New York State Board of Elections, confirmed, “In the case of the New York City Board of Elections, this is determined by the date and time stamp when the independent nominating petition was filed with that board.”
Cuomo’s late filing wasn’t the only quirk. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who dropped out of the race on September 28, still appeared on the ballot because he missed the withdrawal deadline of August 21—75 days before the election. This, too, is standard procedure, not evidence of a plot. As the Independent Voter Network pointed out, the rules apply equally to all, and independent candidates routinely find themselves relegated to the ballot’s margins, further highlighting the structural challenges facing those outside the two major parties.
Ultimately, the confusion and controversy did little to slow the momentum of Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who clinched victory with 50.4% of the vote. In a fiery victory speech in Brooklyn, Mamdani addressed both his supporters and his critics—including President Donald Trump. “If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mamdani declared, before delivering his now-famous four-word message: “Turn the volume up.” The crowd erupted in cheers, underscoring the symbolic weight of Mamdani’s win in a city that has long been a political bellwether.
Mamdani’s speech was notable not just for its bravado, but for its inclusivity. He promised that New York would be a beacon “in this moment of political darkness,” vowing to stand up for immigrants, the trans community, Black women, single mothers, and anyone else “with their back against the wall.” He also pledged to fight antisemitism and ensure that Muslims in the city “know they belong.” “No more will New York be a city where you can traffic in Islamophobia and win an election,” Mamdani said to raucous applause. He thanked younger voters and a diverse coalition of supporters—from Yemeni bodega owners to Trinidadian line cooks—crediting them with ushering in a “new era of leadership.”
Republican Curtis Sliwa, meanwhile, conceded with a mix of resolve and resignation. “If you try to implement socialism, we’re not only organizing, but we are mobilizing,” Sliwa warned, but added, “Obviously, I wish him good luck, because if he does well, we all do well.” Sliwa’s remarks highlighted the odd dynamics of this year’s race, in which even some Republicans found themselves urging support for Cuomo, a Democrat, in a bid to block Mamdani—a testament to the unpredictable alliances forged by New York’s electoral rules.
Governor Kathy Hochul, who endorsed Mamdani, congratulated him on X, celebrating “one of the city’s highest-turnout elections on record.” The high turnout, coupled with the robust debate over fusion voting and ballot design, has reignited calls for further reforms—such as expanding ranked choice voting to general elections and opening primaries to the city’s large bloc of independent voters.
Despite the noise, experts agree that the 2025 New York City mayoral election was conducted in accordance with the law, with no credible evidence of fraud or intentional bias. As Richard Briffault put it, fusion voting “enables coalition-building and voter expression”—even if it leaves outsiders scratching their heads. In the end, New York’s electoral idiosyncrasies may be confusing, but they are hardly corrupt. As the city prepares for Mamdani’s inauguration on January 1, 2026, the real story may be less about ballot placement and more about the diverse coalition that powered a new mayor into office.
