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Eureka adopts ranked‑choice voting ordinance in 4‑1 council vote
Summary
After a second reading, the City Council adopted amendments to the Eureka Municipal Code to implement ranked‑choice voting for mayor and city council seats. The ordinance passed 4–1 with Council member Fernandez opposed; the city attorney noted a scrivener’s error that will be corrected.
The Eureka City Council adopted an amendment to the municipal code on July 16 to implement ranked‑choice voting for the offices of mayor and city council. The ordinance (identified in the meeting transcript as Bill 1036‑CS) was on its second reading; City Attorney Luna cautioned against major changes at second reading and said she would correct a scrivener’s error after adoption.
Attorney Luna described the item as the second reading and noted that changes suggested in a late email from interested parties would be inadvisable to amend on second reading. "Last time, I was able to make some adjustments ... That wouldn't be the same situation here," Luna said, urging the council not to make major revisions on final passage.
Steve Chesson, president of Californians for Electoral Reform and appearing by Zoom, urged stronger tabulation language and clearer treatment of exhausted ballots so the registrar has precise settings for election equipment. "Getting the tabulation language correct is extremely important," Chesson said, noting he and a colleague had provided model language used by other California cities.
Council member Bauer moved to waive full reading, read by title only, and adopt the ordinance; the motion passed on a recorded vote of 4 yes and 1 no, with Council member Fernandez voting no. The attorney indicated she would correct a scrivener's error in the ordinance's text after adoption (no substantive changes were made during the meeting).
What’s next: staff and the elections official will need to finalize implementing language and equipment settings before the city’s first ranked‑choice election; interested parties raised the need for follow‑up work with the registrar on tabulation rules.
