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Resident urges Portsmouth to consider ranked-choice voting, cites examples from other localities
Summary
A Portsmouth resident urged the council to adopt ranked-choice voting for city council elections, summarizing recent examples from New York City, Alaska, Arlington and Charlottesville and saying the method helps elect candidates with majority support.
Portsmouth — Aaron Cody, a Portsmouth resident, asked the City Council to consider adopting ranked-choice voting for Portsmouth City Council elections and summarized six election examples where the method was used.
Cody told the council that in several large contests — including the New York City Democratic primary for mayor and the Alaska U.S. Senate contest — ranked-choice tabulation did not alter the ultimate winner, and in other instances, such as an Arlington County Board primary, it did change outcomes where multiple similar candidates ran for limited seats. He said those examples demonstrate what he described as the primary benefit of ranked-choice voting: "electing candidates with a demonstrated majority of voter support."
Cody said he will present a follow-up on the Portsmouth City Council’s legal authority to adopt ranked-choice voting at a future meeting and offered to answer questions and meet with council members after the session.
What was asked
- Adoption consideration: Cody urged the council to adopt ranked-choice voting for city council elections to allow voters to rank candidates and to help avoid vote-splitting among similar candidates. - Legal follow-up: Cody said his next presentation would review the council’s legal authority to adopt the voting method.
Council reaction
The transcript records Cody’s presentation but does not show council action or a formal response adopting the proposal. Cody offered to be available after the meeting to discuss details with council members.
