ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – On Election Day, voters will head to the polls, grab their ballots, and vote for their top choice. But what if instead of filling in a single circle, you could rank the candidates of your choice?
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“Right now, if no candidate gets 50 percent, we have to hold another runoff election. That process is fair in theory, but in practice it costs the city more money, and a lot of voters simply don’t come back,” said Cesar Marquez, Senior Organizer with Common Cause New Mexico.
Marquez went before city councilors to make the case for rank choice voting, saying it’s already being implemented in other parts of the state, “We’ve already seen this work in Santa Fe and Las Cruces, where people say it’s easy, it saves money, and it rewards candidates who reach out to more communities, instead of just their base.”
Marquez told councilors, the numbers support this as he cited run-off elections lose 10% of voters and could cost as much as a million dollars. “In City Council District 6 alone in December 2023, it cost approximately $581,000,” James Hernandez told councilors during public comment.
Before heading into the meeting, supporters of the effort rallied outside the council chambers, “Yes to representation. Yes to civility. And yes to real choice,” said one supporter. This, in hopes of educating the public and encouraging councilors to make the change.
It’s highly likely there will be a runoff election in December in the mayor’s race. There are six candidates, which makes it difficult for one to get 50% of the vote.
Critics of ranked choice voting argue that the process is too complicated and could favor one party over the other.
