Residents of New York City vote on primary election day on June 22 in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn. This was the first year in the city for ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank up to their top five candidates in a given race. (Photo: Michael M. Santiago/ Getty Images) After New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary election last week, the preliminary 10 percentage-point lead enjoyed by candidate Eric Adams suggested the outcome was a near-certainty, even under the city’s new ranked-choice voting system. More than a week later, however, the nation’s biggest city has been cast into confusion and heated debate over whether the use of a new process that allows voters to rank their preferences for up to five candidates (used only in party primary elections) was a smart decision.