Minneapolis Labor Review: Ranked Choice Voting
Minneapolis elections and Ranked Choice Voting
By Steve Share, Minneapolis Labor Review editor, Minneapolis Labor Review
October 01, 2009
When voters go to the polls Tuesday, November 3 in Minneapolis, they will be asked to vote in a new way: they will be able to rank their first, second, and third choices for mayor, city council, and other local offices.
The new system of voting is called "Ranked Choice Voting." Minneapolis voters approved the new system in a 2006 referendum by a wide margin. This year's election will be the first time Ranked Choice Voting will be used in Minneapolis, although the system is in use in seven other cities around the nation.
"Greater participation and choice are two huge advantages of Ranked Choice Voting," said Jeanne Massey, executive director of FairVote Minnesota. Massey led the 2006 referendum campaign that put Ranked Choice Voting in place in Minneapolis.