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Supervisor Farrell introduces charter amendment to end ranked-choice voting; colleagues debate timing and alternatives
Summary
Supervisor Farrell introduced a charter amendment to eliminate San Francisco's ranked-choice voting and place the measure on the June 2012 ballot. Colleagues and public speakers pressed for study, alternatives, or preservation of the system; no final board vote was taken at the meeting.
Supervisor Farrell introduced a charter amendment on Tuesday to eliminate San Francisco’s ranked-choice voting system and place the measure on the June 2012 ballot.
“Ranked-choice voting was an experiment voters approved in 2002,” Farrell said, arguing that the voting method has produced confusion and unintended consequences and that San Francisco voters should elect leaders by a simple majority. He said he and Supervisor Ellsburn would place the amendment on next June’s ballot and that hearings would follow over the next two months.
Several supervisors responded during roll-call introductions. Supervisor Avalos criticized bringing a repeal proposal on Election Day before this year’s results were final and called the timing “crass.” Supervisor Ellsburn said the analysis underpinning the proposal addresses many elections since 2004 and argued that many supervisors had been elected with less than a majority of first-choice votes. Supervisor Weiner and others said they supported public discussion but were not prescriptive about the final form of any amendment.
Supervisor Avalos also said he plans to request that the city attorney draft alternative charter amendments, including one to reestablish the current ranked-choice system and another that would let each voter cast three votes that may be allocated to one or multiple candidates; he said he would consult further with the city attorney before moving a formal proposal.
Public comment included a statement from Steve Chesson, president of California’s Electoral Reform (instant-runoff voting) organization, who urged the board to improve voter outreach and equipment rather than repeal the system. Chesson said ranked-choice voting had saved San Francisco about $7 million by avoiding runoffs since 2004 and recommended steps including better voter education, more frequent release of preliminary results for ranked contests, and allowing more rankings when the equipment permits.
No formal vote on a repeal took place at the meeting; the item was introduced for further hearings and discussion.
Actions and next steps
- Action: Introduction of a charter amendment to eliminate ranked-choice voting and place the question on the June 2012 ballot. Mover: Supervisor Farrell. Outcome: introduced for consideration; hearings and follow-up process signaled.
Provenance
Transcript records the initial introduction, multiple supervisors’ responses during roll-call introductions, and public comment from a representative of an electoral-reform group.
