STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Bell peppers are number one, pepperoni makes the cut, but don’t bring pineapple anywhere near a pizza, at least according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
He used a giant makeshift ballot on Thursday to rank his top five pizza topping choices in a demonstration to residents on how their new ranked-choice voting system works. The primary elections that begin Saturday will be the first use of the system for many New Yorkers.
The mayor’s pizza-topping ballot is part of an online city program that will tally New Yorkers’ favorite pizza toppings as a way to show how ranked-choice voting works.
“This year, democracy gets an upgrade in New York City. But any new system takes time and practice to get it right,” the mayor said. “That’s why we’re calling on every New Yorker to rank their pizza toppings this week – it’s a fun, interactive way to demonstrate ranked-choice voting and get New Yorkers excited to cast their ballot this year.”
Participants will be able to choose from eight different toppings — green peppers, olives, vegan cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, sausage, pineapple, and clams — ranking five of them.
With some glaring omissions and no apparent write-in option on the website, lovers of toppings like anchovies and meatballs won’t be able to have their voices heard.
De Blasio -- who used the opportunity Thursday to remind people of his Italian heritage and a 2014 pseudo-scandal in which he ate pizza with a fork at Dongan Hills’ Goodfella’s restaurant -- marked his top five choices as bell peppers, olives, sausage, mushrooms, and pepperoni.
Mayor Bill de Blasio eats his pizza with a form during his first Staten Island stop at Goodfella's in Dongan Hills. (Staten Island Advance/ Jan Somma-Hammel)
The mayor decried the possibility of pineapple on pizza defacing his ballot when he crossed out the option, and suggested clams were only fit for New Haven pizza.
“Let me tell you what never, never, never should be voted for,” the mayor screamed about pineapple. “This is sacrilegious in Italy — to put pineapple on a pizza.”
He showed respect for vegan cheese, but said he just wasn’t ready for the option, similar to his hesitancy endorsing any of the candidates hoping to succeed him.
Thursday’s demonstration was the latest promotion of the city $15 million outreach effort to make New Yorkers aware of the ranked-choice voting system. Chief Democracy Officer Laura Wood is heading the effort.
The city’s DemocracyNYC website has a number of other food-related options to show city residents how to rank their choices, including Korean and Pakistani options.
“Ranked-choice voting will give New Yorkers more of a say in elections,” Wood said. “This year, as you are making your voting plan, make sure you are prepared to vote by practicing ranked-choice voting with our Pizza Topping Challenge, and help spread the word by sharing the ballot with your family, friends, and neighbors. And don’t forget: Early voting starts this Saturday.”
sejick on June 11st, 2021 at 07:05 UTC »
Interestingly, every time a non-meat option was eliminated, mushrooms gained more votes than pepperoni. But when sausage was eliminated, pepperoni gained more than mushrooms.
Ultimately, the non-meat coalition couldn't gain enough votes to stop pepperoni.
ActiveFrontEnd on June 11st, 2021 at 03:12 UTC »
I like it. If this is what educates voters then let's have fun with it. That's probably just the Dad in me.
DescriptionFriendly on June 11st, 2021 at 01:56 UTC »
I'm not a resident of New York and I was easily able to click on the ballot and cast my vote. Voter fraud is clearly running rampant in this whole topping election.