Flash Back Letter - Rank Choice Voting Explained

[Arnold Korotkin]

6L I SATURDAY, JULY 10, 2021 | THE RECORD
OPINION

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Rank-choice voting explained

Mike Kelly's Opinion article "Eric Adams: How a
Black ex-cop is challenging the Democratic Party"
(The Record, July 4) presented an ill-informed under-
standing of rank-choice voting.

In the article, Kelly referred to rank-choice voting as
a " a newfangled, utterly confusing rank-order system
of mayoral balloting that allows voters to make several
choices among a gaggle o f candidates."

He continued by asking his readers to "think of this
new voting system as the election equivalent of an all-
you-can-eat buffet at an Atlantic City casino where ev-
eryone keeps refilling their plates."

Yes, the rank choice voting system is a new concept
and voters need to be educated as to how it works, so
let's set the record straight.

A ranked-choice voting system is a n electoral sys-
tem that allows voters t o rank candidates in order of
preference. It ensures winners with a majority or the
highest support possible in a single, decisive and cost-
effective election. The system requires the winning
candidate to receive a majority of the votes, a s long as
the majority i s achieved using a voting method such a s
instant runoff voting, rather than a second, separate
runoff election.

More than two dozen cities in 17 states use ranked
choice voting for local elections. They range from large
cities like New York and San Francisco to small cities
like Vineyard, Utah, and Eastpointe, Michigan.

Voters will need time to understand the new rank
choice voting system, but its implementation will 

democratize the election process.

Arnie Korotkin
Little Falls