The leaders of the small but influential Working Families Party are slated to meet this week to decide whether to keep Cynthia Nixon as its candidate for governor this November, or endorse Gov. Andrew Cuomo and avoid possibly playing the role of a spoiler.

• Key dates and deadlines to know for the November elections in New York

DECISION WFP

For the Working Families Party, a big decision looms. After endorsing Cynthia Nixon in her battle against Andrew Cuomo, the party saw the governor swamp her in the September 13 primary. Now, the party must decide whether to stay the course and keep Nixon on the ballot or make a maneuver to drop her from the line and throw it to Cuomo.

The Working Families Party is slated to meet Thursday and next week to make a final decision. Getting Nixon's name off the ballot is not simple: She would need to run for a different office. If that happens and the Working Families Party tries to back Cuomo, the governor can refuse to accept it.

Overshadowing the party's decision is that fact that it needs its candidate for governor to get 50,000 votes in November in order to get an automatic line on all ballots for another four years. It's a vote that could determine the party's survival.

Party Chairman Bill Lipton: She, and Jumaane [Williams], and our leadership, and our membership are going to be meeting soon; this week and next week, and over the next 10 to 15 days, we are going to be making a final decision about our ballot line.

Zack Fink: You need the 50,000 votes, obviously.

Lipton: And we are going to get the 50,000 votes, no matter what.

THE ISSUE OF FUSION VOTING

New York state allows what is known as fusion voting, meaning the Working Families Party  can cross-endorse Democratic candidates and voters can vote for that candidate on the Working Families Party line instead of the Democratic one. The Conservative Party on the right often does the same with Republicans.

• What's next? After the NY primaries, Republicans and Democrats are getting ready to clash

But there is a push to end fusion voting altogether.

"I believe the days of fusion voting are long past us in New York state," said State Sen. Diane Savino, a Democrat. "What started out as an exercise in democracy has turned into almost extortionary politics by third parties trying to hijack the major parties."

Parties like the Working Families Party and the Conservative Party could remain viable without fusion voting, but they'd have to run their own candidates instead of cross-endorsing. The Green Party does this year after year.

• NY1 Voter Guide: A guide to some of the biggest New York races in November

But Lipton does not want fusion voting eliminated. "No, of course not," he said. "We think it's a valuable way for voters to express their values and their preferences at the ballot box."