New York City's mayoral election has become the race to watch because of its surprisingly competitive nature but also the electoral system that's helped it become so competitive: ranked choice voting.

The newfangled ranked-choice voting, or RCV, was first rolled out in a 2021’s mayoral election, so many ballot-casters may need a refresher. RCV ballots asks voters list their top-five candidates in order of preference. The New York City ballot now looks a whole lot like the multiple-choice scantron sheets from high school tests of yore.