Richmond City Council Moves Forward with Ranked Choice Voting Ballot Measure
May 1, 2024
Mayor Eduardo Martinez said the ranked-choice voting system would ensure that Richmond voters are heard and that elections are decided by its residents, not corporations and special interest groups.
"The Richmond City Council advanced a proposed ranked choice ballot measure to be added to the 2024 General Election ballot after a presentation at a special meeting Tuesday night.
Marcela Miranda-Caballero, California Ranked Choice Voting Executive Director, said instant runoff voting has become the fastest-growing non-partisan voting reform in the nation, with more than 11 million voters having voted with ranked ballots in the US since 2004.
Rank choice proponents say the process will lead to more representative and equitable outcomes with more women and candidates of color elected.
“In the Bay Area, there are four cities that currently have 61 percent of their elected offices held by people of color. Before [RCV] that was 38 percent,” Miranda-Caballero said. “Oakland has never elected a woman mayor in its 160-year history before [RCV]. Now that it has [RCV] it’s elected three women in a row as mayor.”
Read the full article at https://www.grandviewindependent.com/council-moves-forward-with-ranked-choice-voting-ballot-measure/