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Can a New York City Mayoral Candidate Be Taken Off the Ballot?

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A judge affirmed a Board of Elections decision that it was too late for Jim Walden to be taken off the New York City mayoral ballot. The same would be true for other candidates.

A close-up of Jim Walden, who looks past the camera with a pensive expression and holds his hands to his face with fingers interlocked.

Sept. 11, 2025, 4:56 p.m. ET

In July, Jim Walden, an independent candidate for mayor of New York City, announced a proposal that he said would help defeat Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and front-runner. A poll should be taken to determine which of Mr. Mamdani’s opponents has the best chance of beating him, Mr. Walden said, and everyone else should drop out.

Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who was in second place, backed the plan. Mr. Walden, after continuing to poll far behind the other candidates, followed through last week, suspending his campaign and seeking to have his name removed from the November ballot.

But it’s not that simple. At a city Board of Elections meeting on Tuesday, the board told Mr. Walden that his request came too late, and his name would still appear. On Thursday, a state judge affirmed the board’s decision. That all but ensures that even if other candidates were to stop campaigning, their names would stay on the ballot, too, and votes for them would still count.

Business leaders and advisers to President Trump have recently discussed ways to consolidate support behind Mr. Cuomo, possibly by finding jobs for Mayor Eric Adams, who is also running as an independent, and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate. (Mr. Adams has privately expressed openness to such an offer, while Mr. Sliwa has vowed to stay in the race.) Here’s what to know about what might happen if any of them decided to quit.

Why did the Board of Elections say Mr. Walden had to remain on the ballot?

Mr. Walden told the board’s commissioners that he had the right to decide not to run for mayor, and that he didn’t want to confuse voters with a fifth candidate on an already crowded ballot.

But the commissioners told him they could not accept his resignation. Any independent candidates wishing to decline a ballot line faced a strict deadline, which is long past — May 30, or three days after the last day to file a nominating petition for candidacy. The election board is an administrative board, not a legal authority, and the commissioners said they would follow the deadlines put forth by election law.