'NYC ballot form is a scam': Elon Musk slams New York City voting system ahead of mayoral polls

Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday shared an image of a New York City ballot paper on X, calling it a scam and questioning the integrity of the voting process ahead of the U.S. election. "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," Musk wrote on X.

The post comes on the day New Yorkers head to the polls on November 4, as part of the nationwide election day that will see voting between 6 am and 9 pm. Early voting, which began on October 25, concluded on Sunday. 

In the Democratic primary earlier this year, Zohran Mamdani, son of Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani, defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo, emerging as the Democratic nominee. 

The New York City Board of Elections said more than 735,000 people voted early this cycle - about four times higher than the 2021 elections. Mamdani, who has pledged to "lower costs and make life easier" for residents, has promised to freeze rents for all stabilised tenants and accelerate affordable housing projects if elected.

On the eve of the election, US President Donald Trump urged New Yorkers to vote for Cuomo, despite the former governor running as an independent. "Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job," Trump wrote on Truth Social, describing Cuomo as having a "record of success."

Trump said Democratic nominee Mamdani "is not" fit for the role and warned that federal funding to New York City would be restricted if Mamdani wins.
Cuomo, however, distanced himself from Trump's backing, saying, "He's not endorsing me. He’s opposing Mamdani."