Latest news with #rankedchoicevoting
Yahoo
13-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Early results from Utah's municipal primary elections
Various cities and towns across Utah will be voting in Tuesday's primary election for mayoral spots and city council posts, among others that are on the ballot this year. The filing period for most of the positions ended June 6, providing voters an initial glimpse at potential future leadership. Still, there's plenty of time to get to know the hopefuls — primary voting, if necessary to narrow the list of candidates, culminates on Tuesday, with general election voting ending on Nov. 4. Four Salt Lake County cities will be using ranked-choice voting — Salt Lake City, Millcreek, Midvale and South Salt Lake — and the filing period for those goes from Aug. 12-19. The ranked-choice voting process eliminates the need for a primary, and the varied candidates under the alternative system go directly to the general election ballot. Numerous posts on school boards and special districts across Utah will also be on the ballot this cycle, including school board seats for the three new school districts in Utah County in anticipation of the upcoming voter-approved split of the Alpine School District. Here's a look at some of the municipal races this year in selected Utah counties that are on the primary ballot. Many cities across Utah are holding mayoral elections this year. Salt Lake County Bluffdale City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Adam Christian, 343 Wendy Aston, 891 Mackey Smith, 719 Jeffrey Steele, 460 Albert Allen Larsen, 472 Draper City Council, 2-year term (1 seat, top 2 move on): Brad Byington, 1,395 Oliver Herrera Schuster, 419 Evan Sorensen, 391 Kathryn Dahlin, 2,041 Emigration Canyon City Council (1 seat, top 2 move on): Dillon Wheelock, 13 Jacob Steed, 105 Zachary Posner, 46 Roberto Pinon, 146 Herriman City Council, District 3 (top 2 move on): Matt Basham, 487 Rodman D. Grimm, 161 Heather Garcia, 336 Holladay Mayor (top 2 move on): Daren A. Watts, 1,949 Zac Wilson, 1,783 Paul S. Fotheringham, 3,092 Kearns Mayor (top 2 move on): Tina Marie Snow, 1,006 Christopher James Geertsen, 184 Michael Jesse Xon Valdez, 689 Cache Dexter, 70 City Council, District 2 (top 2 move on): Lyndsay Longtin, 221 Alan Peterson, 122 T. Jordan Hansen, 114 Magna Mayor (top 2 move on): Maxwell Thomas White, 360 Michael Ronald Romero, 426 Alexander Adriano, 459 Mickey Sudbury, 999 City Council, District 2 (top 2 move on): Eric Gordon Barney, 153 Cisco Johnny Rodriguez, 58 Megan L. Olsen, 193 City Council, District 4 (top 2 move on): Brooks Jones, 70 Terry George, 138 Trish A. Hull, 141 Murray Mayor (top 2 move on): John Jeffrey Evans, 1,124 Bruce E. Turner, 1,817 Brett Hales (incumbent), 4,425 City Council, District 2 (top 2 move on): Pamela Jane Cotter, 805 Dale M. Cox, 382 Jared Michael Eborn, 412 Aaron Lee Holbrook, 174 City Council, District 3 (top 2 move on): Clark Bullen, 713 Scott Goodman, 317 Ben Peck, 424 Leann Parker-Reed, 162 Riverton Mayor (top 2 move on): Tish Buroker, 3,693 Tawnee McCay, 2,033 John Scott, 402 Sandy Mayor (top 2 move on): Monica Zoltanski (incumbent), 9,139 Alison Stroud, 1,909 Cyndi Sharkey, 4,358 Justin Hilgendorff, 95 Roger Downward, 223 City Council, District 3 (top 2 move on): Iva Williams, 978 Kris Nicholl, 1,770 Matthew Ostrander, 630 Parry Harrison, 921 West Jordan City Council (3 seats, top 6 move on): Rob Bennett, 1,986 Kayleen Whitelock, 2,790 Jessica Wignall, 2,040 Chris McConnehey, 2,051 Kevin Seal, 609 Sergio Sotelo, 1,876 JD Sheppard, 1,107 Rulon Green, 663 Kelvin Green, 1,807 David F. Pack, 1,782 Annette Harris, 2,632 Eric Hanna, 240 West Valley City City Council, at-large (top 2 move on): Heidi Roggenbuck, 2,398 Lars Nordfelt, 2,608 Ryan L. Mahoney, 892 Justin J. Turcsanski, 987 City Council, District 2 (top 2 move on): Danny George Jr., 610 Rocky A. Thomas, 272 Scott L. Harmon, 1,304 City Council, District 4 (top 2 move on): Cindy Wood, 1,288 Amitonu Wesley Amosa, 327 Geovani Salazar, 265 Jim M. Vesock, 314 Utah County Alpine City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Sarah Blackwell, 303 J. Ben Blank, 20 Jennifer Wadsworth, 353 Andrew Young, 475 Troy Slade, 231 Ali Garbero, 92 Wesley G. Funk, 155 Eagle Mountain Mayor (top 2 move on): Tom Westmoreland (incumbent), 481 Donna Rivera Burnham, 383 Melissa Clark, 906 Jared R. Gray, 944 Duncan J. Searcy, 266 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Emily Buss, 895 Brett L Wright, 1,295 Craig Whiting, 1,264 Laure Jensen, 654 Oreta M. Tupola, 299 Charlotte Ducos, 978 Highland City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): McKaiden Carruth, 205 Ron Campbell, 489 Wes Warren, 347 Liz Rice, 563 Kristin Richey, 324 Scott L. Smith, 670 Corey Freeze, 175 Lehi Mayor (top 2 move on): Paige Albrecht, 2,552 Chris Condie, 1,115 Paul Binns, 2,013 Charlie Tautuaa, 368 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): E. Larell Stephens, 596 Stephen Suafilo, 590 Kenneth Glade, 392 Emily Lockhart, 2,274 Rachel Freeman, 2,012 Jared V. Peterson, 1,515 James Harrison, 1,958 Paul Hancock, 1,442 Jordan M. Hutchinson, 455 Tyson Hodges, 253 Mapleton Mayor (top 2 move on): Dallas Hakes (incumbent), 1,015 Therin Garrett, 1,261 Scott Liggett, 715 Claudia Paradis, 72 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Kasey Beck, 1,283 Melanie Bott, 1,077 David Smaldone, 415 Angela Silva, 717 Francis Gibson, 1,136 Jake Lake, 1,011 Orem City Council (3 seats, top 6 move on): Steven White, 1,047 Archie Williams, 157 Tommy Williams, 196 Quinn Mecham, 4,273 Crystal Muhlestein, 3,396 Doyle Mortimer, 3,921 Angela Moulton, 3,826 LaNae Millett, 3,628 David M. Spencer, 3,180 Truman Van Cott, 731 Payson City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Easton Brady, 558 Kirk D. Beecher, 517 Brett Christensen, 404 Lacee Smith, 644 Bob Provstgaard, 867 Joseph Hansen, 193 Provo Mayor (top 2 move on): Michelle Kaufusi (incumbent), 4,436 Marsha Judkins, 3,877 Eric Mutch, 265 Thatcher Alain Longman, 285 City Council City Wide I (1 seat, top 2 move on): Katrice MacKay, 4,939 Adam Shin, 2,555 Tom Fifita Sitake Sr., 1,170 City Council District 2 (1 seat, top 2 move on): Sally Clayton, 164 Jeff Whitlock, 886 Hannah Petersen, 836 City Council District 5 (1 seat, top 2 move on): Sam Blackburn, 113 Rachel Whipple, 450 Shay Aslett, 65 Tim Jafek, 41 Saratoga Springs City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Emma Wilson, 1,009 Kevin McMillan, 564 Michael D.S. McOmber, 401 Esther Sekiziyivu, 359 Rob Taylor, 545 Tyler Tolley, 373 Randall Diamond, 400 Spanish Fork Mayor (top 2 move on): Mike Mendenhall (incumbent), 2,238 Scott Neilson, 1,045 Richard Dougan, 138 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Bryan Edman, 657 Shane Marshall, 1,920 Valerie Mills, 1,033 Kevin Oyler, 2,227 Edes Hill, 552 Spring Lake City Council 4-year term (2 seats, top 4 move on): Joy Benson, 61 Elizabeth Black, 22 David Charles, 109 Robert Judd, 87 Spensor Smith, 21 Jana Stanton, 21 Danise Farren, 29 City Council 2-year term (2 seats, top 4 move on): Richard Behling, 71 Sharon Bascom, 65 Shamayne Cram, 17 Von Menlove, 35 Robert C. Marsh, 94 Ryan Moore, 44 Jordy Smith, 25 Vineyard City Council (3 seats, top 6 move on): Brett Clawson, 227 Jacob Wood, 355 Caden Rhoton, 203 Terry Ewing, 204 Ezra Nair, 228 Parker McCumber, 306 David Lauret, 256 Steve Terry, 103 Davis County Clearfield City Council (2 open seats, top 4 move on): Brennan Berry, 474 Timothy Roper (incumbent), 791 Danielle King, 826 Karece Thompson (incumbent), 633 Tony B. De Mille, 298 Clinton City Council (2 open seats, top 4 move on): Jennifer Steele Christensen, 894 Robert Lee Eberhard, 120 Shelby Montgomery, 375 Adam B. Larsen, 1,110 Cameron M. Frick, 134 Gary Lee Tyler (incumbent), 352 Zackery M. Hatch, 536 Chris Danson, 927 Layton Mayor: Amy Midori Jones, 514 Trevor Lee Foust, 2,798 Joy Petro (incumbent), 4,814 City Council (2 open seats, top 4 move on): Britshana Dahl Barfuss, 1,616 Cody Rae, 607 Jory Rand Argyle, 1,739 Claude Young, 1,461 Jarrod Morrill, 1,210 Mike Kolendrianos, 2,606 Bettina Smith Edmondson (incumbent), 3,867 Linda Lartigue, 2,067 North Salt Lake City Council (2 open seats, top 4 move on): Gary Steven Widders, 229 Conrad Jacobson, 614 Heidi Smoot, 1,138 Alisa Van Langeveld (incumbent), 1,169 Ryan Holbrook, 828 Sunset City Council (2 open seats, top 4 move on): Raymond Harold Chapman Jr., 55 Ronald Fish Wilson, 83 Nancy Greco Smalling (incumbent), 255 David Silos-Aguirre, 68 Cornel Wilkes Thomas, 121 Katherine R. Hunter, 200 West Bountiful City Council (2 open seats, top 4 move on): Kelly Enquist (incumbent), 369 Frank Yingst, 40 Richmond S. Thornley, 302 Julie Nichols Thompson, 679 Mark W. Preece (incumbent), 443 West Point Mayor (top 2 move on): Annette Judd, 440 Brian Vincent (incumbent), 848 David Marvin Drake, 430 Weber County Harrisville City Council, at-large (2 seats, top 4 move on): Stephen Weiss, 152 Brenda Nelson, 172 Tracy Martinez, 58 Greg Montgomery, 512 Steven Wayne Hempel, 234 Jason Hadley, 535 Hooper City Council, Seat 3 (top 2 move on): Shauna Lee Ray, 82 Debra Marigoni, 117 Ray Hancock, 160 Marriott-Slaterville Mayor (top 2 move on): Les Syme, 264 Chelsie Stanger, 97 Mark Hodson, 122 Dennis Illum, 37 North Ogden Mayor (top 2 move on): Ryan Barker, 1,487 Mona Wald, 878 Phil Swanson, 1,046 City Council at-large (2 seats, top 4 move on): Kevin Burns, 1,020 Tera Carney, 1,150 Zach Ward, 866 Jared Paul Flandro, 805 Jay D. Dalpias, 2,130 Ogden Valley Mayor (top 2 move on): Janet Wampler, 901 Kyle F. Reeder, 200 Andrew Philip Newton, 60 Shanna Francis, 1,154 City Council, Seat 1 (top 2 move on): Michael Robert Zindel, 29 Christopher Charles Caldwell, 57 Chelsea J. Argyle, 94 Tia V. Shaw, 142 Raymond E. Higuera III, 42 City Council, Seat 2 (top 2 move on): Abe Kelly Wangsgard, 107 Rick Marriott Kelson, 47 Peggy Dooling-Baker, 255 City Council, Seat 3 (top 2 move on): Fred W. Blickle III, 74 Cari Cutler, 20 Marshall McGonegal, 52 Charlie Dickson Graff, 79 Benjamin H. Prall, 19 Kay Hoogland, 290 City Council, Seat 4 (top 2 move on): Christine Brown, 3 Chad Booth, 381 Laura Warburton, 49 Beau Rawlinson, 16 Trevor Shuman, 13 Heidi H. Gross, 13 Christy Veglia, 12 City Council, Seat 5 (top 2 move on): Donald E Griffiths, 92 Don Hickman, 235 Dan Davenport, 142 Ogden City Council, At-large Seat A (top 2 move on): Alicia Washington, 2,266 Marcia White, 2,464 Sheri Lyn Morreale, 454 John H. Thompson, 1,011 City Council, At-large Seat B (top 2 move on): Pieder Beeli, 874 Bart E. Blair, 2,383 Kevin Lundell, 2,954 Plain City Mayor (top 2 move on): Phil Meyer, 978 Shawna Faulkner, 366 Kade Parks, 126 City Council, at-large (2 seats, top 4 move on): Jed Jenkins, 845 Sean Jones, 390 Robert Jenkins Lamb, 391 Luigi Panunzio, 722 Lacey Hainline, 315 Pleasant View City Council, at-large (2 seats, top 4 move on): Sean Wilkinson, 796 Brian Gray, 349 Johnny Ferry, 733 Todd Hardman, 153 Derek Draper, 231 Riverdale City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Kent T. Anderson, 431 Bart Stevens, 339 Shauna Flinders, 332 Jim Packard, 279 Stacey E. Haws, 327 Roy City Council, at-large (2 seats, top 4 move on): Rebel Brooks, 394 Diane Wilson, 1,683 Blythe C. Wilde, 217 Jason Evan Sphar, 924 Anna Graff, 547 Janel Hulbert, 1,064 Anthony W. Dick, 778 City Council, at-large, 2-year (top 2 move on): Ty Chaston, 655 Sharin Marie Withers, 308 Darrin Albright, 522 Alexis Jackson, 780 Washington County Enterprise City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Yvonne Colby, 28 Justin Seegmiller, 113 Craig Gardner, 31 Ronald Alfred Lehm, 27 Douglas R Truman, 59 Kanton Vause, 47 Jerald Hunt, 58 Hurricane Mayor (top 2 move on): Nanette Billings (incumbent), 991 Rick Crow, 520 Gary Sanders, 315 Clark Fawcett, 1,058 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Shavene E. Butler, 401 Cindy Charlton-Matejka, 607 Lynn L Excell, 976 Katheryne Knight, 312 Kevin Thomas, 791 Michael C. Hirschi, 955 David B Imlay, 1,317 Ivins City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Jenny Johnson Christiansen, 297 Lance Burton Anderson, 125 Shad Johnsen, 440 Mike Scott, 1,100 Wayne D Pennington, 660 Dillon Hurt, 711 Jamy Dahle, 179 La Verkin City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Amanda Barr, 158 John Vincent Valenti, 104 Christian Kenneth Harrison, 74 Richard Brooks Howard, 148 Annika Durum, 90 Leeds Town Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Doris Brown-McNally, 87 Adam Ken Law, 47 Aaron Price, 87 Christine Marie Harvey, 70 Troi Gee Hoster, 55 Town Council 2-year term (1 seat, top 2 move on): Jeffrey Douglas Allen, 52 Rochelle Gardner, 98 Kenneth Hadley, 29 Springdale Mayor (top 2 move on): Barbara Bruno (incumbent), 110 Pat Campbell, 53 Jeff McKee, 4 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Noel Benson, 58 Jack Burns, 49 Paul Zimmerman, 28 Randy Aton, 70 Tom Kenaston, 71 Kathy LaFave, 29 St. George Mayor (top 2 move on): Michelle Randall (incumbent), 5,243 Brannon R. Razo, 314 Aros Mackey, 2,002 Jimmie B. Hughes, 4,554 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Nathan Caplin, 2,182 Greg Aldred, 3,296 Jami Leavitt, 4,054 Natalie Larsen, 4,454 Shane Losee, 1,751 Michelle Tanner, 5,019 Bryan D. Thiriot, 1,468 Tooele County Erda City Council District 4 (top 2 move on): Tynley Bean, 28 Lawrence Kimpel, 51 Craig Smith, 45 Grantsville Mayor (top 2 move on) Heidi B. Hammond, 663 Jolene Jenkins, 501 Todd Stewart, 386 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Kevin D Casey, 117 Mackenzie Wilstead, 340 Charles Sipes, 53 Tom Tripp, 756 Michael L. Tate, 324 Jake Thomas, 608 Mint Phillipps, 63 Derek Dalton, 633 Tooele Mayor (top 2 move on): Karen Betancor, 706 Priums S. Butler, 142 Maresa Tonioli Manzione, 1,513 Brad Pratt, 1,051 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Emily A Chandler, 1,094 Kelley Anderson, 775 Dave McCall, 1,528 Jon Gossett, 1,572 Spencer Peck, 1,123 Iron County Cedar City Mayor (top 2 move on): Emily Rhodes, 554 Steve Nelson, 2,162 Rebecca Faith Munn, 119 Phil E. Schmidt, 1,355 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Ronald Riddle, 1,500 Barry E. Short, 611 Waldo D. Galan, 1,502 Kathy A. Long, 893 R. Scott Phillips, 2,955 Enoch Mayor (top 2 move on): Noel J Wells, 205 Jim Rushton, 394 Katherine A. Ross, 422 Wasatch County Charleston Mayor (top 2 move on) Brenda Christensen, 29 Jan Wilson, 100 Shawn Taylor, 68 Town Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Michael Bauer, 80 Marc L. Mair, 64 John (Bob) Robert 'Bob' Kowallis, 44 Scott Todd Solum, 132 Brenda Angela Gemmell, 60 Heber City Mayor (top 2 move on) Heidi Franco (incumbent), 1,468 D. Scott Phillips, 1,271 Mike Hewlett, 206 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Yvonne M Barney, 1,259 Lori Wikert Rutland, 388 Corey Noyes, 620 Morgan Murdock, 940 Nick Lopez, 921 Christen Thompson, 550 Jami Hewlett, 152 Ken Davis, 583 Midway City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Craig Knight, 158 Starr Stratford, 648 Jared (JC) Simonsen, 430 Andy Garland, 621 Randy Lundin, 250 Genene Probst, 401 Summit County Coalville Mayor: (top 2 move on) Walter William Brock, 39 Lynn Wood, 111 Tyler J. Rowser, 34 Rory Thomas Swensen, 143 City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on) Matthew Boyer, 188 Steven Bingham Richins, 61 Andrew Edward Nelson, 72 Colleen C. Goodman, 104 Chris Tomczyk, 33 Jeff M Peterson, 166 Francis City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on): Scott Ian Buchanan, 26 Justin Ciampi, 47 Riley J. Atkinson, 149 Lynsi Stone, 98 Shana Jai Fryer, 83 Clayton Wilson Querry, 98 Henefer Mayor (top 2 move on): James Alfre Rees, 95 Kay H. Richins (incumbent), 119 Dawn M. Langston, 9 Park City City Council (2 seats, top 4 move on) Diego Zegarra, 799 Jeremy Rubell, 545 Beth Armstrong, 459 Molly Miller. 360 John 'J.K.' Kenworthy, 467 Danny Glasser, 442 Tana Toly, 909 Ian Hartley, 165 Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Paul mayoral race: Melvin Carter files for re-election
The Brief St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter announced Monday he's running for re-election in November. He's seeking his third term. State Rep. Kaohly Vang her also announced she's running for mayor. St. Paul uses ranked-choice voting, and mayors serve four-year terms without limits. ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The City of St. Paul will elect its next mayor in a Nov. 4, 2025 election. On Monday, Melvin Carter officially filed for re-election. Melvin Carter files What we know Carter will be seeking his third term as the leader of St. Paul. He replaced Chris Coleman in 2017 after Coleman, who had the seat since 2006, decided not to run for a fourth term. In 2017, Carter earned 50.86% of the vote over Pat Harris and Dai Thao. In 2021, Carter earned 61.63% of the vote to beat out Dino Guerin, Paul Langenfeld and Bill Hosko and earn his second term. Mayor Carter's office says his next campaign will focus on getting tools to address the fentanyl crisis, ensure safe and accessible public spaces, get better pay for union jobs, continue revitalizing downtown and providing quality housing. Carter is currently leading the City of St. Paul through a cyberattack that has impacted internal systems and forced residents to go to city offices in-person for permits and to make payments that are normally electronic. Rep. Kaohly Vang Her announces run Why you should care Carter will have some competition, as State Rep. Kaohly Vang Her on Monday announced her run for St. Paul mayor. The 52-year-old worked for Carter as a policy director in his first term as mayor. Her is now a State Rep. in District 64A of the Minnesota Legislature, which includes the Macalester-Groveland, Cathedral Hill, Lexington-Hamilton and Merriam Park neighborhoods. She made headlines in June, when during the legislative session she said on the floor, "My family broke the law to come here." She was referencing MinnesotaCare cuts to undocumented immigrants. The comment fueled speculation she was undocumented, but she is a U.S. citizen who was a Hmong refugee from Laos in the 1970s. She became a naturalized citizen in junior high school. How the election works Dig deeper St. Paul chooses its mayor through ranked-choice voting. Mayors serve four-year terms, and there are no term limits. Solve the daily Crossword
Al Jazeera
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
How Zohran Mamdani reached a multilingual, multicultural New York online
New York City, the US: Swinging around a tree mimicking the signature open-arm lean of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, Zohran Mamdani asks, 'Hey! Have you ever voted before?' An enthusiastic group of Hindi/Urdu-speaking New Yorkers respond: 'Yes!' In the June 4 video posted on X, the 33-year-old Democratic Socialist member of the New York State Assembly then explains ranked choice voting using mango lassi, a yoghurt-based drink from the Punjab region of India, amid clips from popular Bollywood films and scores. This is just one example of the kinds of videos populating Mamdani's social media leading up to his 56 percent win in the New York City mayoral Democratic primary on July 1. Mamdani was relatively unknown before the primary election, polling as low as one percent in an Emerson College survey in February 2025. But his grassroots campaign mobilised a multicultural coalition of voters, in part, by speaking directly to them — in their native tongue. The government of New York state estimates that New Yorkers speak more than 800 languages, and as many as 2.5 million struggle with communicating in English. Experts, however, say Mamdani successfully used his skills in multiple languages to appeal to voters who often are not targeted by mainstream election campaigns, highlighting policy proposals targeting voters' biggest concerns, like affordability. Moments after ranked-choice voting totals were finalised, Mamdani's team posted a campaign message garnering more than 5.7 million views on X alone, explaining a five-point breakdown of 'What We Won on Election Day': Trump voters, Adams voters, new voters, coalitions and turnout. 'Most campaigns focus on 'triple primes' – New Yorkers who voted in the last three primaries,' said Mamdani. 'But this strategy ignored most of our city. We knew we could turn them out if they saw themselves in our policies.' Speaking between clips of himself using Hindi, Urdu and Spanish, Mamdani explained, 'We ran a campaign that tried to talk to every New Yorker, whether I could speak their language or simply tried. And the coalition that came out on Tuesday reflected the mosaic of these five boroughs.' Among the areas Mamdani won by large margins were South Asian neighbourhoods such as City Line, Ozone Park and Jamaica Hills; Latino neighbourhoods including Corona, Washington Heights, Pelham Bay and Woodhaven; and Chinese communities in Flushing, Chinatown and Bensonhurst. A Ugandan-born South Asian Muslim immigrant himself, Mamdani speaks both Hindi and Urdu – a fluency that allowed him to extend his reach to voters through social media videos. Soniya Munshi, associate professor in urban studies and adviser to Asian-American community studies at Queens College, told Al Jazeera that these types of videos worked as conversation starters through Bollywood references that span the decades – from the 1970s onwards – recognisable to many South Asian diasporas of different ages and with different pathways to the US. 'I saw his Hindi/Urdu video move from Instagram to text chats among second-generation South Asians to WhatsApp family threads to discussions about Zohran's platform for an affordable NYC,' said Munshi, who herself is a second-generation South Asian New Yorker. 'These videos opened up a bigger conversation with friends, families and communities about our experiences, our conditions, our own hopes for the city we call home, and they also moved voters to come out for Mamdani.' Cultural references and direct messaging More than half of New York City's South Asian population is of Indian descent, but Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities have seen the most growth over the past two decades. South Asians now make up 22.5 percent of the city's Asian population, most of them immigrants. Mamdani's campaign materials – in Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, Bengali and other languages – spoke directly to immigrant New Yorkers about the material issues affecting their lives. 'It's critical to note the significance of Mamdani's videos in Hindi/Urdu and Bangla,' said Munshi. 'These two communities are among those with the highest levels of limited English proficiency households, essential workers, and poverty rates of all immigrant groups in NYC … Ultimately, what made these South Asian language videos so powerful was the culturally relevant references combined with the direct message of his vision and platform.' Chowdury Md Moshin, 68, a native of Bangladesh who now lives in Jackson Heights, sat in Travers Park on a warm late June day reading a newspaper, his stark white hair and shirt contrasting with the bright green of the swaying trees around him. A speaker of Bengali or Bangla himself, Moshin appreciated hearing from a mayoral candidate speaking a language he understands. 'I think he will be a good mayor and will make New York City cleaner,' said Moshin. 'I love him.' In one of the videos posted during the final push before the Democratic primary election, Mamdani demonstrated ranked-choice voting with Council Member Shahana Hanif's 39th New York City Council District, using a plate of mishti doi, a sweet yoghurt dessert from the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. 'His Bangla-language video with Shahana Hanif, the first Bangladeshi Muslim woman to serve as city councilperson in NYC, was also significant,' said Munshi. 'Bangla is not a South Asian language Mamdani is fluent in, and we see him making a good effort to speak with Hanif about the election.' The digital agency behind this content, as well as Mamdani's first viral video with over 3.5 million views on X, is called Melted Solids. The Brooklyn-based collective, founded in 2019 by Anthony DiMieri and Debbie Saslaw, has worked with Mamdani on various campaigns since as early as 2021. In an interview with Adweek, Saslaw spoke to the 2025 primary, saying, 'I'm [a] marketer and storyteller, and what I thought was necessary and needed in the political space was the ability to speak to regular New Yorkers, like using advertising … as a vessel to hear their concerns.' Mara Einstein, digital marketing critic and author of Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults, told Al Jazeera that, 'They [Melted Solids] know him, which is why they could produce content that conveyed his specific voice.' 'They are also not a traditional agency,' added Einstein. 'What Melted Solids did that was different is get rid of the red, white, and blue colour scheme that has dominated political campaigns. Purple and yellow/gold [colours used by Mamdani's campaign for flyers, signs and branding] is striking and unexpected. The typography harkens back to grocery store signs, giving it a neighbourhood-y, everyman feel.' 'I like how he talks' For a campaign run on affordability and reaching every New Yorker, this analysis bodes well. But ultimately, experts say that Mamdani's social media engagement performed well because his vision and platform were at the core of all of his content. 'The social media content was delightful to watch, well-produced, and engaging, but what was most important was that it had substance,' said Munshi. 'It gave us something to talk about that was bigger than Mamdani as an individual or even his campaign. It activated something at a collective level.' Outside the polls in Woodside on election day, Munshi asked an older Spanish-speaking Latina woman whom she planned to vote for. The woman reached into her purse, pulled out a worn Working Families Party flyer, and pointed to Mamdani's face. 'Him,' she said. 'I like how he talks.' 'To me, this indicated that Mamdani's communication wasn't just about the language he is speaking in,' said Munshi. 'But how he used language – clear, simple, focused, relatable to New Yorkers who are concerned with their everyday needs in this city.' With five months until the general election, Mamdani and Melted Solids still have work to do as they face off against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is backed by US President Donald Trump. But if former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo's failed 2025 mayoral bid – backed by $25m raised by the super PAC Fix the City – is any indication, Einstein said, 'No marketing, no matter how good it is, can sell a bad product. Cuomo is evidence of that.'
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
D.C. Finally Moves To Implement Ranked Choice Voting After 3–1 Voter Approval
This week, the Council of the District of Columbia voted to fund ranked choice voting, officially backing a ballot measure that passed in November by a wide margin. This is a welcome change after some D.C. Democrats previously tried to prevent or postpone it from going into effect. On a traditional ballot, voters pick one from a list of candidates, and whoever gets the most votes wins, even if he doesn't capture an outright majority. On a ranked choice ballot, voters rank each candidate in order of preference; if no candidate wins a majority of ballots in the first round, then the lowest performer is eliminated, and all his ballots are retallied and assigned to their second choice. This process repeats until one candidate gains a majority. In November, Initiative 83 was on the ballot in Washington, D.C. The initiative would "allow voters to rank up to five candidates according to their preference in each contest for any office" and "permit any voter who is not registered with a political party to vote in the primary election of that voter's choosing for all offices." Like ranked choice implementation, the second provision was consequential: Since D.C. is such an overwhelmingly Democratic city, winning a Democratic primary essentially means winning the election. But D.C. has closed primaries, effectively disenfranchising the 18 percent of D.C. voters who are registered independents. Initiative 83 also specified, "This Initiative will not be implemented unless the D.C. Council separately chooses to appropriate funds for the projected costs." Ahead of the election, D.C. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser said she was "totally against ranked choice voting" and would "be voting 'no' on the initiative." The voters disagreed with her, and the measure passed by a nearly 3–1 margin. But Bowser's 2026 budget proposal didn't include any funding to implement Initiative 83. Councilmember Anita Bonds, a Democrat who chairs the Committee on Executive Administration and Labor, proposed the D.C. Board of Elections "develop [an] implementation plan" for Initiative 83 that would include analyses of various factors such as costs, "implementation issues," and "timelines for effective implementation." But since Bonds' proposal would otherwise adopt Bowser's budget as written, neither would actually implement ranked choice in the district. On Monday, the D.C. Council officially voted 8–4 to approve funding for the initiative. It's not the end of the line: The vote only includes the funding in the city budget, which the Council will vote on at the end of the month. Further, Monday's vote would only fund ranked choice implementation and does not address the other clause of Initiative 83—allowing independent voters into party primaries. Still, funding the measure is a step in the right direction. For proof of that, look no further than incumbent politicians' opposition. "Democrats talk a big game about making the U.S. electoral system fairer. But, so far, they are failing to live up to that commitment in D.C.," the Washington Post editorial board wrote last week. "Many of D.C.'s elected officials—who might face some real competition under this new system—are stalling the reforms." Republicans have also been plenty critical of ranked choice—at least, in places where Republicans hold power. Last year, multiple states had ranked choice ballot measures. Prominent Republicans opposed them in Republican strongholds such as Idaho and Alaska. In fairness, not all Democrats have opposed the measure in the District of Columbia. Democratic Councilmember Brianne Nadeau co-sponsored the amendment to fund Initiative 83, which passed with the votes of multiple Democrats on the Council. But it remains the case that all too often, politicians oppose anything that threatens their power. "While not implementing the entirety of Initiative 83, this decision will bring ranked choice voting to our nation's capital," Meredith Sumpter, CEO of FairVote, a nonprofit that advocates for ranked choice, said in a statement. "That will give DC voters greater choice and a stronger voice in their elections, and deliver better outcomes to the District of Columbia for years to come. I hope the City Council implements the entirety of Initiative 83 to fully enfranchise the District's independent voters." The post D.C. Finally Moves To Implement Ranked Choice Voting After 3–1 Voter Approval appeared first on
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DC Council partially funds ranked choice voting, falls short of full implementation
The Brief D.C. council voted to partially fund a ranked choice voting measure, supported by 73% of D.C. residents. The initiative has not passed yet; however, the Council is headed towards approving it ahead of the 2026 election season. The council is expected to meet again in August to further discuss implementation options. WASHINGTON - The D.C. council voted to partially fund Initiative 83, which includes ranked choice voting, but fell short of fully implementing it on Monday afternoon. What we know In ranked choice voting, voters can rank candidates in order of preference, rather than choose one. If passed, the initiative would take effect in time for the 2026 election, so voters can rank mayoral candidates regardless of party affiliation, and rank their preferred candidate at number one. Why you should care D.C. is a diverse city with a not-so-diverse voting population. In a 2024 poll, 92% of registered voters were Democrats, and 6% were Republicans. With ranked choice voting, voters can rank Democrats rather than just pick one. What they're saying DC Shadow Representative, Oye Owolewa, says he appreciates the council for "hearing the voices of the people" and for the initial funding of ranked choice voting. "As someone who fights for DC's full democracy on the national stage, I'm encouraged to see progress at home," Owolewa says. The Source Information in this story comes from U.S. Representative Oye Owolewa's press release.
