Residents clash over ranked-choice voting resolution during Irmo meeting

Two residents spoke during the public-presentation portion of the Town of Irmo meeting March 18 to express opposite views on a resolution concerning ranked-choice voting.

Barry Walker, a resident who identified himself as speaking in opposition, said ranked-choice voting is unnecessary and confusing for Irmo voters. "It's too complicated. It's too expensive. The person with the most votes can lose in this ranked choice voting scenario, and your vote might not count," Walker said, adding that in his 2019 mayoral race he received a majority and that ranked-choice voting could have produced a different outcome.

Nicole Sanchez, who gave her address and identified herself as a town resident, disputed Walker's characterization and said instant-runoff voting has already been litigated and found to meet the "one person, one vote" standard. "It is still a valid way to vote as 14,000,000 people in this country already vote, including our overseas military," Sanchez said. She added that ranking candidates can guarantee a majority winner and increase voter choice.

The council did not take action on the comments during the meeting; the remarks were part of the public-presentation period and not an agenda item requiring a council decision.

Walker urged the council to dismiss the approach; Sanchez thanked council members for supporting municipal options that increase voter choice, noting the resolution seeks more legislative options for municipalities. No council debate or vote on changing the town's voting method occurred during the meeting.