In NY, it's normal — not a 'scam' — for a candidate to appear on the ballot multiple times

A candidate can appear on a New York ballot more than once — no matter what Elon Musk is saying on social media.

The practice of “electoral fusion” or “fusion voting” is rarer than it once was in the United States, but remains legal and common in New York, allowing candidates to run on multiple party lines simultaneously. That’s why Zohran Mamdani is found under the Democrat and Working Families Party lines, and Curtis Sliwa appears under the Republican and Protect Animals party lines this election.

The practice lets residents vote for major-party candidates while still supporting third parties that also list the same candidates as their nominees. In New York, that’s critical to keeping third parties on the ballot for future elections — because they need to get about 130,000 votes during