Irmo council backs resolution asking state to allow ranked-choice voting; debate exposes mixed views

The Town of Irmo Council voted to approve Resolution 25-04 on Feb. 25, expressing the town’s support for giving municipalities the option to use instant runoff (ranked-choice) voting in local elections.

Supporters said the measure simply asks the state Legislature to permit ranked ballots for towns, while opponents warned the change could confuse voters and increase costs. The resolution passed on a roll-call vote: Mr. Pinto — yes; Ms. Coleman — no; Dr. Waldman — yes; Mr. Sickinger — yes; Mayor William O. Danielson — yes.

Advocates framed the resolution as a request for local control rather than an immediate change to Irmo’s voting procedures. Nicole Sanchez, president of Better Ballots, told the council the measure “is not about changing how Irmo runs its elections” but about giving municipalities the option to avoid costly runoffs and “find a majority winner without the cost of holding a runoff election.”

Chris Hinsal, representing Veterans for All Voters, urged the council to back ranked-choice voting as a way to reduce negative campaigning and produce majority winners in a single election. “Instant [runoff] allows the voter to rank the preference for all of the candidates,” Hinsal said, adding that the method encourages candidates to compete for second- and third-place votes rather than demonize opponents.

Frank Knapp, president and CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce, said small-business owners who also vote favor options that produce majority-supported winners without raising election costs. “You are asking the state to simply give you the option to use instant runoff voting, and let this council decide what’s best for Irmo,” Knapp said.

Opponents urged caution. William Bowman of Irmo said he opposed Resolution 25-04 and asked the council not to support it. “We do not need to adopt any other alternative method to voting,” Bowman said, arguing that the current system works and that alternatives could confuse voters and increase costs.

Council debate showed a mix of philosophical support and pragmatic hesitation. Mayor Pro Tem Sickinger, who introduced the item, described it as “about freedom” and local choice. Other council members said they wanted more evidence showing ranked-choice voting improves civic discourse or turnout before endorsing broader changes to election rules.

The resolution does not change how Irmo conducts its elections. If approved by the state Legislature in the future, a municipality would still decide whether to adopt ranked-choice voting in its own elections.

Provenance: The discussion and public comment on ranked-choice voting appears in the transcript beginning with public comment from Nicole Sanchez and continuing through council debate and the roll-call vote.