Images of the New York ballot are going viral this morning because Zohran Mamdani’s name appears on the ballot TWICE! And while that’s true, there’s more to the story, which I will explain. First, let’s start here: Mamdani listed twice on the ballot and so is Curtis… Polymarket gives 92% chance Mamdani wins. https://t.co/onWdSP2RgC pic.twitter.com/ABm7kn4vUt — MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) November 4, 2025 Even Elon Musk is outraged by it and posting about it: The New York City ballot form is a scam! – No ID is required– Other mayoral candidates appear twice– Cuomo’s name is last in bottom right pic.twitter.com/676VODWFRI — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 4, 2025 Let’s take a closer look at the ballot: Ok so now allow me to Fact-Check this for everyone and explain it. First of all, the ballot images ARE real and authentic. This is actually how the New York ballot looks, extremely strange as that may be! If I were voting in New York, I’d have no idea what I was supposed to select here because not only is Zohran Mamdani listed twice but so is Curtis Silwa if you look closely. Second of all, I have to say that I have no idea what a “Zohran Mamdani” is….I always thought this is the Zohran Mamdani? Isn’t that the machine from BIG that would turn Tom Hanks older or younger? That’s the only Zoltar I know about. But anyway, I digress….back to the ballot. Something else you might notice on the ballot is there are a bunch of very strange labels next to the candidates. You have your standard Republican and Democrat but then you get labels like Working Family, Protect Animals, Safe & Affordable, Integrity, Fight and Deliver, and Quality of Life. New York is a weird place man! Here’s what’s actually going on and why it’s actually authentic to New York: Those unfamiliar labels — Working Families, Protect Animals, Safe & Affordable, Integrity, Fight and Deliver, Quality of Life, The Unity, etc. — are political party lines that exist under New York’s fusion voting system. Here’s how it works: Fusion Voting (New York’s Unique System) New York is one of the few U.S. states that allows a practice called fusion voting.Under fusion voting: Multiple political parties can nominate (or “endorse”) the same candidate. That candidate’s name can appear on several party lines on the ballot. Voters can choose which line to vote under, and all votes for that person (across all parties) are added together for their total. Example:Eric Adams could appear under Democratic, Safe & Affordable, and Endorsements party lines — but a vote for him on any of those lines still counts toward his total for mayor. Minor Parties & Issue-Based Lines Those other names you saw are minor or third parties, often built around single issues or ideologies: Working Families Party (WFP) → progressive, left-leaning, allied with Democrats. Protect Animals Party → animal rights and environmental advocacy. Safe & Affordable Party → likely a local ballot line created by a candidate’s campaign emphasizing affordability and safety. Integrity / Quality of Life / Fight and Deliver / The Unity → usually temporary local lines created by candidates to appeal to specific themes or values (a legal and common practice in NY). Why It Looks Unusual These extra lines aren’t “fake” or “spoiler” lines — they’re fully legitimate, registered political parties or authorized ballot lines.They exist because New York allows a candidate to form or borrow a party name just for an election cycle if they gather enough petition signatures. This lets them market to niche groups or signal certain values without forming a permanent large party. Now the final question you might have like I did….what happens if you vote for one of these candidates in the box associated with one of the minor parties?  Is that vote lost? They claim not: Under fusion voting, when the same candidate appears on more than one party line, every vote for that candidate—no matter which line it’s on—counts toward that person’s total. So, for example, if Eric Adams receives 30,000 votes on the Democratic line, and 5,000 votes on the Safe & Affordable line, his final certified total is 35,000 votes. Those minor-party votes aren’t wasted; they simply show which bloc of voters preferred to back him through a smaller party. Campaigns sometimes use these extra lines to measure or signal coalition support. The whole thing makes me very uneasy and just feels wrong. How about you?