Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) – Once again the possibility of ranked choice voting in Albuquerque will come up for a vote at Monday night’s city council meeting. This will be the fourth time since 2019 that the issue is discussed and brought up at the city council sessions. The co- sponsor of the proposal is Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn.
Right now, Albuquerque uses a majority voting system meaning a candidate must win at least 50% of the vote or the result triggers a run-off election. Those in favor of the change to ranked choice voting, say it will save time and money for the city by avoiding costs of over $1.6 million to run a runoff election. Those opposed have said it is very confusing for voters. If approved, the city clerk would work on a public education campaign to educate voters.
The way it works, a voter would be required to choose by ranking in order of preference which candidate they would prefer for the position, either first, second, third and so on. If none of the candidates reaches 50% on the first count, the lowest vote-getters are eliminated, and then another count happens until one candidate has enough votes to win.
Santa Fe has had ranked choice voting for 8 years, Las Cruces also has this type of voting in city elections.
Monday’s city council meeting starts at 5pm
