ST. PAUL, Minn. — Only five cities have ranked choice for their local elections, but some state lawmakers want to give more communities that option.
The system works like this: Voters can choose a few candidates and rank them based on their preference. If a candidate gets a majority – 50% +1 – he wins outright.
If not, there is a runoff in which the person with the lowest number of first-choice votes is eliminated and the second choice on those ballots is counted and redistributed. This cycle continues until there is a winner.
But only cities with charters can allow ranked choice voting through an ordinance or a voter referendum, which is just 1% of Minnesota cities, DFL Secretary of State Steve Simon said. Minneapolis, St. Paul, St. Louis Park, Bloomington and Minnetonka vote for their local officials this way.
A bill introduced in a House committee on Tuesday would give more green light to implement ranked-choice voting. Supporters say this gives voters more say in who their elected leaders are and forces candidates to appeal to a broader group of voters to win.
“This is about local choice, local autonomy and creating a level playing field so that all cities and local government units can adopt this if they want to – and only if they want to,” Simon said. “Nothing is permanent. If they don’t like it, they can always get rid of it.”
Last fall, an effort was made in Minnetonka to repeal ranked-choice voting, just two years after a majority of voters approved it; That measure failed. The legislation in the capital would also set statewide standards for ranked-choice voting so that cities don’t differ on how they implement it.
Christina Scipioni, city manager in Bloomington, said all five cities with ranked choice voting in Minnesota have differences in how they administer elections. Ranked-choice voting only applies to local races, not state, federal or presidential contests.
“Standard standards would ensure consistency and make it easier for everyone to understand how RCV elections are organised, increasing transparency and trust in the electoral system, Scipioni told lawmakers. “Standards also lower the barrier to entry for communities wanting to implement rankings. choice votes, but feel overwhelmed by the daunting task of setting up an electoral system from scratch.”
That push for consistency wasn’t enough to win support from critics who say ranked-choice voting is too complex for voters to understand.
Rep. Jon Koznick, R-Lakeville, said that by allowing more local governments to implement this system, Minnesota will have a “patchwork” of election laws, which will cause confusion.
“I think it’s important to have a uniform election system across the state and that is of great concern to me, along with some comments about budget costs and how we actually pass this on to cities and towns and school boards,” Koznick said. .
Cities across the country have lined up elective options, but only two states — Alaska and Maine — have federal or both federal and state-wide elections, according to the Council of State Governments. Florida banned the practice from being implemented there.
Caroline Cummings
