Experience The Joy Of Rejecting Andrew Cuomo Through A Video Game

I'd get it if you're all sick of hearing about New York City's Democratic mayoral primary, but a bunch of New Yorkers run this site and we're all pretty invested in it! It's also broken local containment, not just because one of the candidates is very online, but because the race itself presents an opportunity for all of us to rethink how we participate in electoral politics.

A poll this morning suggests a tighter-than-ever race between frontrunners Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani, with Mamdani coming out on top once you account for the intricacies of ranked choice voting. NYC adopted ranked choice voting in 2021, when it didn't go so well: errors and campaign implosions snarled the process and ultimately led to Eric Adams coming out on top. This time around, candidates have been slow to work together but ultimately done so, most notably with candidates Brad Lander and Mamdani endorsing each other through a message most of the Democratic candidates have rallied around: don't rank Andrew Cuomo.

To that end, game designer and former New Yorker Robert Yang has released a free browser game called Don't Rank Cuomo, where players click their way through changing versions of NYC ballots in an effort not to click on Cuomo's name. Yang writes, "why should New Yorkers have all the fun? Now through the timeless magic of video games, anyone can don't rank Cuomo!" The game quickly gets tricky, with entries not in English or ballot positions that swiftly move around, all with a time limit to ramp up the pressure. Despite this, it's pretty forgiving, giving you opportunities to try again if you mis-click or run out of time.

Yang wrote on Bluesky that the mods of the "NYC" reddit deleted a link to the game, which is very funny but also coincidentally highlights how contentious this race has been. The monied Cuomo camp has gone on a campaign to discredit Mamdani, who has the best chance of taking him on, while everyone else has been desperately trying to remind voters that, whoever you favor, you don't have to rank Cuomo just because you've heard his name before.

Through how frequently Cuomo's name slipped under my mouse cursor, Yang's game points to how hard Cuomo is working to make New Yorkers feel like they have to vote for him. But the game also highlights the way in which NYC's ranked choice system gives voters more options than just "vote for a bad guy" or "stay home." More than just hoping your preferred candidate wins, you can use your ranked choice ballot to actively cast a vote against a candidate you dislike. Our political system can look like more than just sighing heavily and holding our noses. If you're in NYC, Tuesday's primary is a small chance to put a different system into action.

Both Cuomo and Eric Adams will likely end up on November's mayoral ballot regardless of how Tuesday's primary goes, though the Working Families Party has plans to challenge them there too. So whatever happens Tuesday, things are far from decided. If you're in NYC and haven't voted yet, please (safely) brave tomorrow's heat to do so, and encourage those you know to do so too. And if you aren't a New Yorker, you can live our horrors, but also our joys, vicariously through a video game from the comfort of your computer.