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Residents, voting advocates urge Morristown council to study ranked-choice voting
Summary
Residents and advocates urged Morristown council to support education on ranked-choice voting and to back a state enabling bill that would let municipalities adopt it, while councilmembers said they will review materials and consider further discussion with constituents.
Public commenters urged the Morristown Town Council on Sept. 24 to explore ranked-choice voting and to support a pending state bill that would allow municipalities to adopt it if voters agree.
Several speakers described ranked-choice voting and said it could increase turnout and ensure winners have majority support. Veronica Akhezua, who said she grew up in Randolph, told the council, “Ranked choice voting is a method of voting whereby instead of choosing just one candidate on the ballot, voters can rank candidates in order of preference.” Edward Akesua, a Morristown resident, also voiced support.
Renee Steinhagen, executive director of the New Jersey Public Interest Law Center and a member of Voter Choice New Jersey, told the council that a bill sponsored in Trenton by state lawmakers including Sen. Zwicker and Assemblyman John Allen would enable municipalities to adopt ranked-choice voting but would not mandate it. “What’s important about this bill is that it’s not mandatory,” Steinhagen said, adding that it would require voter approval at the local level and was drafted so municipalities could choose to adopt the method for local elections while leaving primaries and other state-managed processes unchanged.
Advocates said ranked-choice voting can produce winners with broader support, encourage more candidates to run and change campaigning away from personal attacks toward issue-based debates. Steinhagen cited examples of municipalities and states experimenting with variations of ranked-choice voting and stressed the need for state enabling legislation in New Jersey because current Title 19 election rules and some municipal charters can limit how local elections are conducted.
Councilmembers responded that education is the next step. One council member said they had attended a local educational session and recommended that the council continue public education and outreach before taking policy steps. The mayor thanked speakers for the materials and said the council would review them. No ordinance or formal vote on adopting ranked-choice voting occurred at the meeting.
The council did not take formal action on the topic; members said they would study educational materials and consider whether to bring the matter back for public discussion and possible future action.
