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Committee opens planning for ranked‑choice voting; sponsor says draft charter amendment nearly ready
Summary
Committee members discussed next steps for adopting ranked‑choice voting locally; sponsor said a draft ballot question is under review and could be ready for an April 2026 vote, while staff outlined that implementing RCV will focus on the 'how' including stakeholder engagement and timeline.
Assembly members on the Quality Municipal Services and Ethics and Elections Committee opened an introductory discussion March 26 about implementing ranked‑choice voting (RCV) for municipal races and possible timelines for placing a charter amendment before voters.
Assembly Member Constant, who said he has a draft ordinance to establish a voter charter amendment for ranked‑choice voting, told the committee the draft is “nearly ready for prime time” and is being reviewed by administration staff; he said the sponsor’s intent is to see the question before voters in April 2026 if the committee and Assembly move forward promptly.
Chair Felix Rivera said the committee should focus first on the operational “how” of adapting local elections systems rather than re‑arguing the rationale for RCV, which he said voters have debated previously at state level. Several members asked for a clear path and timeline, and for stakeholder engagement comparable to the multi‑year process used to implement vote‑by‑mail in the past.
Members discussed scope. A sponsor representative said the draft would apply across the board — the mayoral race, Assembly races and school board contests — and convert elections to an instant runoff framework; it would also change mayoral runoff rules referenced in current timelines and adjust the threshold for an outright victory from 45% to 50% where applicable.
Assistant Municipal Attorney Jessica Willoughby briefed the committee on a recently issued federal executive order that relates to federal elections. Willoughby said the order’s language is specific to federal elections and that the Office of the Municipal Attorney will monitor any downstream effects at the state or local level: “As an executive order, it is applicable and the language within the executive order is specific to federal elections,” she said, adding that the city did not anticipate an immediate effect on local elections but would watch for consequential impacts on state law or simultaneous election processes.
Committee members asked the sponsor to notify the committee when the draft ordinance is ready for formal consideration. Members said they expect a detailed implementation discussion in May or June that will identify stakeholder groups, technical changes needed for ballots and vote counting, and public‑education plans.
