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Local resident urges Portsmouth to consider ranked-choice voting, rebuts common objections
Summary
A Portsmouth resident presented arguments in favor of ranked-choice voting during public comment, rebutting three common objections — voter capacity, cost and delayed results — and urged council to study the option and estimate implementation costs.
Aaron Cody, a Portsmouth resident, used his public-comment time Wednesday to present arguments for adopting ranked-choice voting and to rebut three criticisms commonly raised about the system: that voters cannot handle the change, that it will cost too much, and that it prevents timely results.
Cody said ranked-choice voting is already used in a variety of jurisdictions and election types, including state and local contests, and in more than 50 localities. “Because change is hard should not be a reason not to adopt a better way to do anything, including voting,” he said, and he invited council members and staff to estimate implementation costs and consider phased approaches such as starting with primaries.
Why it matters: ranked-choice voting would change how winners are determined and could affect election administration costs and voter education needs. Cody asked the city to estimate the cost and consider incorporating it into a future budget if council determines it is a priority.
Details: Cody said adoption would require voter education and engagement but that unofficial media election-night calls are separate from official statutory reporting deadlines. He offered to be available after the meeting to answer questions and to provide additional materials.
Outcome: this was a public-comment presentation; council did not take action on the proposal at the meeting.
