Push for ranked choice voting in Sacramento could reshape future elections
A democracy debate is underway in Sacramento that could change the way elections are held.
Last year, six people ran for Sacramento mayor and no one got more than 30% of the vote during the primary election. Now, there's a push to eliminate the primary and allow voters to choose more than one candidate.
Paula Lee, with the League of Women Voters, is trying to eliminate primary elections for Sacramento City Council and mayoral races and hold what's called "ranked choice" voting during the November general elections.
"Instead of voting for just one, we're able to rank our candidates by preference, so you have a first choice, second, maybe even a third," Lee said.
If no one gets more than 50% on the first count, the lowest performing candidate is eliminated and their supporter's next choices are counted until someone gets a majority.
"If your first choice falls short, your vote is not wasted," Lee said.
Volunteers are now trying to gather 43,000 signatures to get a ranked choice voting measure placed on the ballot.
If approved, it would take effect in 2028 — just in time for the next mayoral race.
"Ranked choice voting is one of the most contentious things there is in modern voting," CBS News Sacramento political analyst Gary Dietrich said.
Dietrich noted that it could dramatically change the way candidates court votes.
"There's going to be all kinds of shenanigans that will happen where people are trying to bump competitors or non-competitive first-choice candidates up into those lower ones to draw votes away from others," he said.
Sacramento's League of Women Voters, which does not endorse candidates, says the voting method is a nonpartisan way to improve elections.
"It doesn't help or hurt any particular party," Lee said. "It's just really great for voters, and it's really great for candidates, too."
Ranked choice voting is already used in six California cities, including San Francisco and Oakland.