ITHACA, N.Y. — Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, D-125, has introduced a bill that would permit “ranked choice” voting on a trial basis for 2022 and 2023 county and local elections. It would be a local option and subject to a vote by residents.
“Ranked choice voting is a method that is currently used in many U.S. cities, as well as the State of Maine, and the results seem positive, with, reportedly, more people voting and reduced negative election rhetoric,” Lifton said in a statement Thursday. “New York State, despite recent improvements, still has the ninth lowest voter turnout rate in the country, and as we explore ways to reverse this trend, it’s important that we be open to innovative reforms, like ranked choice voting, that have the potential to strengthen our democracy.”
When casting ballots, voters currently select a single candidate and the candidate with the most votes wins. Ranked choice, however, would allow voters to rank multiple candidates by order of preference. According to Ballotpedia’s description of ranked-choice voting, “If no candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated. First-preference votes cast for the failed candidate are eliminated, lifting the second-preference choices indicated on those ballots. A new tally is conducted to determine whether any candidate has won a majority of the adjusted votes. The process is repeated until a candidate wins an outright majority.” Watch a video that describes the process, created when Maine was considering ranked-choice voting in 2016, here.
This system is also called an “instant runoff voting system.”
Lifton said in a statement that ranked-choice voting has a few potential benefits, including allowing voters to choose their favorite candidate without fear that they will “play the spoiler” and help elect a candidate they are strongly opposed to. She said it will also likely cut down on negative campaigning because it will encourage candidates to seek out second- or third-choice votes.
“Finally – and this in my mind is probably the biggest advantage – it encourages higher voter turnout and ensures that the winning candidate has true majority support, rather than just a plurality in a multi-candidate contest,” Lifton said.
According to Ballotpedia, seven states contain cities that have implemented ranked-choice voting in municipal elections and Maine has implemented it for federal and state elections. When Maine was considering implementing ranked-choice voting in 2016, a committee (the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting), which advocated for the measure, said: “ranked choice voting levels the playing field for all candidates and encourages candidates to take their case directly to you with a focus on the issues.”
This style of voting hasn’t been without opposition. Some have argued it’s a confusing system for voters. There was also controversy the first time Maine voters used the ranked-choice system for a federal race last summer. Republican Bruce Poliquin, who lost a congressional race to Democrat Jared Golden, went on to contest the results, arguing ranked-choice voting was unconstitutional. A federal judge disagreed, however.
The New York bill would create a pilot program allowing a ranked-choice voting system to be used by local governments for election years 2022 and 2023. If approved, it could be used for county, local and school board elections in localities that vote to adopt the system.
Sen. Liz Krueger, D, WF-28, is sponsoring the bill in the Senate. The Assembly version has not been assigned a number and uploaded yet.