"Why NYC’s Multiparty Politics Feel So Chaotic; The city blends reforms meant to curtail party power with rules designed to enhance it. No wonder the outcomes are messy"

Jack Santucci :

New York City is becoming the nation’s test case for the latest electoral reform proposal, fusion voting , which allows multiple parties to nominate the same candidate. Advocates say fusion creates space for third parties while avoiding the pitfalls of ranked-choice voting and other “voter-centric” approaches to single-seat elections. Some now note that Zohran Mamdani’s victory can be seen as fusion failing on its own terms. This critique extends to a larger set of reforms to “give party leaders more control over their brand[s].”

I see it differently. This election demonstrated what happens when reforms designed to strengthen parties collide with reforms that weaken them. If New York wants to avoid repeats of this year’s chaos, it should adopt rule