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New York ballot photos are going viral this morning because Zohran Mamdani’s name appears on the ballot twice!
And while that’s true, there’s more to the story, which I’ll explain.
First, let’s start here:
Mamdani was listed twice on the ballot and so was Curtis… 🤦🏻♂️
Polymarket gives Mamdani a 92% chance of winning. https://t.co/onWdSP2RgC pic.twitter.com/ABm7kn4vUt
– MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) 4 November 2025
Even Elon Musk is angry about it and is posting about it:
The New York City ballot measure is a scam!
– No ID required
– Other mayoral candidates appear twice
– Cuomo’s name is last on the bottom right pic.twitter.com/676VODWFRI– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 4 November 2025
Let’s take a closer look at the ballot:
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Okay so now allow me to fact-check and explain it all for everyone.
First, the ballot images are real and authentic.
This is what New York voting actually looks like, it can be very strange!
If I were voting in New York, I wouldn’t know what I should choose here because not only is Zohran Mamdani listed twice, but if you look closely, Curtis Silva is also listed twice.
Secondly, I have to say that I don’t know what “Zohran Mamdani” is…I always thought it was Zohran Mamdani?
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Isn’t that BIG’s machine that will make Tom Hanks grow older or younger?
This is the only Zoltar I know of.
But anyway, I digress… back to the ballot.
Another thing you might notice on the ballot is that there are a bunch of very strange labels next to the candidates.
You have your standard Republican and Democrat, but then you get labels like Working Families, Protect Animals, Safe and Affordable, Integrity, Fight and Deliver, and Quality of Life.
New York is a weird place, man!
Here’s what’s really going on and why it’s actually authentic to New York:
Those unfamiliar labels – Working Families, Protect Animals, Safe and Affordable, Honesty, Fight and Deliver, Quality of Life, Unityetc – are political party lines which is located in New York fusion voting system,
This is how it works:
🗳️ Fusion Voting (New York’s unique system)
New York is one of the few US states that allows a practice called fusion voting,
Under fusion voting:
Multiple political parties may nominate (or “endorse”) the same candidate.
The name of that candidate may be revealed on many party lines On the ballot.
voters can choose which line To vote under, and all the votes for that person (across all parties) are added together for their total.
Example:
Eric Adams may appear below democratic, safe and economicalAnd endorsement Party Line – But Vote for Him Any Those lines still count towards his total for Mayer.
🏷️ Small parties and issue-based lines
Other names you saw are small or third partyOften built around single issues or ideologies:
Working Families Party (WFP) → Progressive, left-leaning, affiliated with the Democrats.
Protect Animals Party → Animal rights and environmental advocacy.
safe and affordable party → A local ballot line possibly created by a candidate’s campaign emphasizing affordability and safety.
Honesty / Quality of Life / Fight and Deliver / Unity → generally temporary local lines Created by candidates to appeal to specific themes or values (a legal and common practice in NY).
🧾 Why does it look unusual
These additional lines are not “fake” or “spoiler” lines – these are completely legitimate, registered political parties or authorized ballot lines.
They exist because New York allows a candidate to Farm or Borrow Name a party for only one election cycle if they collect enough petition signatures. This allows them to market to specific groups or signal certain values without creating a permanent large party.
Now the final question you may have like I did… what would happen if you voted for one of these candidates in a box belonging to a smaller party? Has he lost the vote?
They do not claim:
under fusion votingWhen the same candidate appears on more than one party line, Each vote for that candidate—regardless of which line it is on—counts towards that person’s total,
So, for example, if Eric Adams receives
30,000 votes on the Democratic line, and
5,000 votes on a safe and economical line,
Their final certified total is 35,000 votes,
Votes of small parties are not wasted; They simply show which group of voters preferred to support them through a smaller party. Campaigns sometimes use these additional lines to gauge or signal coalition support.
This whole thing makes me very uncomfortable and feels wrong.
How are you?