Local Options Bill Would Allow Cities to Implement Ranked Choice Voting
The Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) Local Options bill, sponsored by State Representatives Steve Elkins (DFL-Bloomington) and Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley), would give any city or school district in Minnesota the right to adopt RCV if they so choose. Currently, only 15% of cities have their own charter (like Bloomington) and therefore, the ability to set their own rules for local elections (e.g., can adopt RCV) without approval from the State Legislature. The remaining 85% of cities, as well as all townships, all school districts, all soil & water boards, and all counties except Ramsey, have to ask the Minnesota Legislature for permission to use RCV for their elections.
The Local Options bill would free statutory jurisdictions to use RCV if they choose, and allow charter cities to approve RCV by ordinance. It also would establish guidelines to ensure that the next generation of voting equipment is RCV-capable. The bill would impose no mandates and has no effect whatsoever on communities uninterested in pursuing RCV.
Sponsored by Representatives Steve Elkins (DFL-Bloomington) and Government Operations committee chair Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley), and co-sponsored by a wide range legislators from across Minnesota, the proposal is modest, sensible, and fair. It supports removing barriers that make electoral innovation difficult for municipalities and cities interested in improving their local voting systems. The measure also makes it easier for overseas military voters to cast their ballots.
Rep. Elkins, in his first term in the House, sees RCV as a solution to several problems local jurisdictions are facing in local elections: expensive and low turnout primaries, tactical voting, and lack of diversity of candidates. “Ranked Choice Voting makes elections more efficient for cities to administer and simpler for voters. Use of RCV in cities in Minnesota and elsewhere has shown that it increases voter participation and gives voters more choice. If local jurisdictions believe that RCV would improve their elections, we should provide them with that opportunity. That’s what this bill does.”
Minneapolis and St. Paul use RCV with tremendous success. St. Louis Park adopted it unanimously in 2018 and will use it for their city elections in 2019. Other charter cities are considering it.
Former bill author Steve Simon continues to champion the bill in his current role as Secretary of State. He described the local options measure as a “Goldilocks option — it’s just right. It’s a compromise that says not that any jurisdiction should have Ranked Choice Voting, but if they want to have it, they shouldn’t have to come on bended knee to ask the legislature to ask special permission... if [a city] wants to experiment with RCV, they ought to do it.”