SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A measure to implement ranked choice voting in the City of San Diego will be considered for the November ballot.
The city's Rules Committee voted 3-2 on Wednesday to send the proposal to a full council vote, where councilmembers will decide if the measure is placed on the 2020 ballot this fall. The vote is expected to take place in July.
Ranked choice voting would allow voters to list up to four candidates in order of preference, instead of casting one vote for a single candidate.
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Here's how it would work:
- The top four candidates in each primary race would advance to the general election, instead of just the top two.
- In November, voters would then rank the candidates by preference.
- If one candidate has more than 50% of the vote on first count, that candidate would win. If no candidate reaches 50%, the last place finisher would be thrown out. That person's votes would then be reallocated according to the voters' second choice. The field would continue winnowing until a candidate tops 50%.
The city would be required to also hold a voter awareness campaign to familiarize voters with the change.
Councilmember Mark Kersey, who has led the effort to get the measure on the ballot, said in a release, "ranked Choice Voting increases choice for voters, competition and decreases negativity which is great for campaigns. San Francisco and Oakland are using this system, we are taking their model and improving on it."
