After ranked-choice votes were tallied, Eric Adams received 51.1 percent. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images New York Adams stays ahead, Garcia surges but New York election board admits counting problemsNEW YORK Eric Adams held on to his lead in New York City's Democratic mayoral primaries. Voters of lower ranking candidates were accounted. However, the results were immediately questioned after a significant discrepancy between the vote totals.After releasing the results showing Kathryn Garcia winning over Maya Wiley, Adams was within striking distance. The city Board of Elections released a confusing statement. It acknowledged that there were problems with the results but did not explain them or answer any questions.Unofficial RCV [ranked choice voting] round-by-round elimination report has a discrepancy. We are currently working with the RCV technical staff in order to find out where this discrepancy is. We ask for patience from the public, elected officials, and candidates. The board tweeted at 6:20 p.m. just three hours after publishing the results, which could have a significant impact on the outcome of the election.It was a mess in the citywide first test of ranked-choice voter voting. This system allows up to five candidates to rank in order of preference. The system kicks in when one candidate does not receive 50 percent of the votes.Last Tuesday's election saw Adams win with 31.6 percent. Wiley was second at 22.2 percent, and Garcia was third at 19.5 percent.The gap was narrowed significantly after ranked ballots were tabulated. According to Tuesday's results, Adams was only 2.2 points ahead of Kathryn Garcia. Before Adams was able to surpass the required 50 percent threshold and reach 51.1 percent, Garcia's 48.9%, the board computed ranked ballots for 11 rounds.Wiley lasted for 10 rounds and Adams was favored by her voters by about 2-to-1.It is possible that the race will come down to more than 120,000 absentee votes, which was what the Board of Elections accepted through Tuesday.The latest release by the board counts 940,000 more voters than on Election Day. Campaigns and reporters raised questions about the discrepancy, and the board admitted that it was an error. However, they did not explain why.Voters could choose up to five candidates according to their preference. After a candidate has been eliminated, the votes of those remaining candidates are distributed to them. After the final certification is issued by July 12, the board will incorporate absentee votes into another tabulation.The Adams campaign, however, issued Tuesday afternoon a statement in which it questioned the results of the board.We asked the Board of Elections for explanations about this massive increase in voting and other irregularities, before commenting on the Ranked Choice Voting projection. He released a statement. Eric Adams, a five-borough working class coalition made up of New Yorkers, is our next mayor. We are confident in his ability to make New York a safer, better, and more affordable city.Although it is not clear when the elections board will release updated numbers, a mistake could put into doubt all its tabulations if there is a close race.Garcia stated in a statement that "Once all votes have been counted, I am certain everyone will vote for the Democratic nominee." We are looking forward to the final results. It is worth waiting for democracy.According to initial results from BOE, Adams was elected president of Brooklyn Borough. He received just over 51 per cent of the vote. This is an increase of 31.7 percent that he received in first place votes last Tuesday when New Yorkers went to the polls.Wiley finished second last week with 22.2%, but she was relegated to third in the rankings. Garcia was less than 1 point behind Wiley, so the leaderboard could change again once the paper ballots open. She did not concede, despite the narrow margins.She said that she had spoken out on election night and insisted that the democratic process must continue.Garcia was supported by her voters, who gave Adams enough votes to be in the lead.Andrew Yang took fourth place. He had campaigned alongside Garcia in the days preceding last week's primary and encouraged his supporters to rank Garcia second.If the overall direction remains the same, this alliance could prove decisive.A Marist poll conducted by WNBC and POLITICO before the pact revealed that Adams voters were more likely to choose Yang second than Yang. Garcia and Wiley voters were also more likely to choose the respective candidates for first or third.However, Tuesday's results suggested that Garcia was the primary beneficiary of Yangs elimination. This indicates that Yangs supporters were influenced by the duos alliance.Yang's nix in the tenth round boosted Garcia, Adams and their votes by approximately 6 points each. If the percentages are correct, Wiley received just 3 points.We may not win, but we can help Kathryn Garcia get elected, Yang campaign manager Chris Coffey stated about the candidates' thinking when he joined this accord.
