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Ranked‑choice proposals for county and Charter Review Commission elections fall short amid heated debate
Summary
Two related charter amendments to adopt ranked‑choice voting — a comprehensive change for county elections and a pilot for Charter Review Commission races — were both defeated 8‑7 after extended public testimony and commissioner debate.
Two separate proposals to introduce ranked‑choice voting (RCV) in Whatcom County were debated on June 11 and both failed by narrow margins.
Amendment 31 — a broad proposal cosponsored by multiple commissioners — would have implemented single‑winner ranked‑choice voting for applicable races and proportional ranked‑choice voting for multi‑seat contests, eliminated primary elections where state law permitted, and reorganized county council districts (moving from five single-member districts plus two at‑large seats to three multi‑member districts electing three members each).
Amendment…
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