Elon Musk Calls New York City’s Mayoral Ballots ‘A Scam’, Netizens Divided

Last Updated:November 04, 2025, 21:22 IST

Musk questioned New York’s ballot design and voter ID rules, but election law and journalists say the features he flagged are standard and applied evenly.

Voters fill out their ballots at a polling site on Election Day in the New York Mayoral election in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, US. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

Billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday alleged that the New York City mayoral ballot was “a scam," triggering a wave of reactions online. While journalist Isaac Saul and several users said Musk’s claims misrepresented how the state’s voting system works, a section of social media users appeared to agree with him.

Posting on X, Musk complained that “no ID is required" to vote in New York and that some mayoral candidates, including Democrat Zohran Mamdani, appeared twice on the ballot. He also questioned the placement of former governor Andrew Cuomo’s name, claiming it appeared “last in bottom right."

Saul, editor of the newsletter Tangle, countered Musk’s remarks, explaining that the billionaire’s criticism ignored basic election rules. “NYC doesn’t have voter ID laws. In New York, multiple parties can endorse the same candidate, so some appear multiple times. Sliwa, the Republican, is also listed twice!" Saul wrote.

He added that these features are applied evenly and legally to all candidates: “Maybe you don’t like the rules. Fine. But posting this stuff on X with zero context makes people think there is fraud or cheating. These are just the rules being applied evenly."

What the Rules Actually Say

Under New York State election law, voters are not required to show photo ID at polling stations, except in limited cases when registering for the first time without identification. Instead, voters sign the register, and their signature is verified by election inspectors, a system that has been in place for decades.

“You do not need ID to vote in New York City unless you are voting for the first time and did not provide identification when you registered," according to the Board of Elections of the City of New York’s website.

Musk, who shared a picture of the ballot form, also objected to Mamdani appearing twice. He appears once under the Democratic Party and again under the Working Families Party. This is a result of fusion voting, a long-standing and legal provision that allows multiple parties to endorse the same candidate. Votes cast under each party line are combined in the final tally.

Even Republican Curtis Sliwa appears twice on the ballot under separate party lines, as seen in the photo Musk posted.

According to the advocacy group Protect Democracy: “Fusion voting allows more than one political party to nominate the same candidate, and for that candidate’s name to appear multiple times on the ballot."

As for Cuomo’s placement, which Musk described as suspicious, ballot order in New York is determined by state law, which lists major-party candidates first, followed by those from minor parties and independents. Since Cuomo is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary, his name appears lower on the ballot.

New York State Election Law §7-116 states: “The order of the parties on the ballot shall be determined by the number of votes cast for the governor on the line of such party at the last preceding election."

Musk’s post comes amid a heated New York City mayoral race featuring Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa.

He has backed Andrew Cuomo. “Remember to vote tomorrow in New York! Bear in mind that a vote for Curtis is really a vote for Mumdumi or whatever his name is. VOTE CUOMO!" he said.

Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has covered se...Read More

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has covered se...

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