Title
Resolution to Order Election and to Determine Ballot Question for Charter Amendment to Allow for Ranked Choice Voting (7 Votes Required)
Staff
Reviewed by: Matthew Thomas, Assistant City Attorney
Body
Whereas, Ranked Choice Voting enhances the democratic process by allowing for more choice for voters, promoting reflective representation, and promoting majority support;
Whereas, There is currently legislation introduced in the State House of Representatives that would allow the City to provide by Charter that City Officers be elected by Ranked Choice Voting; and
Whereas, It would be beneficial to have the enabling Charter language in place should the legislation pass, so that the City can proceed with Ranked Choice Voting immediately, without the possible expense of calling a special election.
RESOLVED, That the Ann Arbor City Council proposes that the City Charter be amended by modifying Section 13.4 and 13.5 to read as follows:
Primary Elections
SECTION 13.4.
(a) A City primary election for the purpose of nominating such officers of the City as this Charter provides shall be held on August 8, 2017, and in succeeding years on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in August as provided for in Section 12.4. If, upon expiration of the time for filing nomination petitions for any elective office, it appears that petitions have been filed for no more than one candidate for the office from each political party nominating candidates therefor, no primary election shall be held with respect to the office. The candidates receiving the highest number of votes of their respective parties at any city primary election shall be declared the The nominees for election to the respective offices for which they are candidates shall be selected pursuant to Section 13.5. As to any office with respect to which no primary is necessary, persons named in petitions as candidates for election to the office shall be certified by the Clerk to the Election Commission to be placed upon the ballot for the next subsequent regular election under the party heading set forth in the nomination petitions for the candidates.
(b) No person who is a sticker candidate for nomination, or whose name is written in on the ballots at any primary election, shall be declared nominated unless that person receives at least fifty votes.
Election Procedure
SECTION 13.5.
(a) Except as otherwise provided herein, the general election laws of the State shall control, as nearly as may be, all procedures relating to registration for and to the calling and conduct of City elections.
(b) In the event State law allows for the use of Ranked Choice Voting for the election of City Officers, the candidate receiving the majority of votes shall be declared the winner according to the following guidelines:
(1) The ballot shall allow voters to rank a number of choices in order of preference equal to the total number of candidates for each office.
(2) If a candidate receives a majority of the first choices, that candidate must be declared the winner. Subject to subsections (3) and (4), if no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the candidate, or candidates, who received the fewest number of first choices must be eliminated and each vote cast for that candidate must be transferred to the next ranked continuing candidate on the elector’s ballot. Except as provided in subsection (5), this process will continue until a candidate receives a majority of votes.
(3) If the total number of votes of the 2 or more candidates credited with the lowest number of votes is less than the number of votes credited to the candidate with the next highest number of votes, those candidates with the lowest number of votes must be eliminated simultaneously and their votes transferred to the next ranked continuing candidate of each ballot.
(4) If an elector skips a rank, the elector’s vote must be transferred to the elector’s next ranked choice.
(5) If after the ranked choice voting process described in subsection (2) is complete and there is a tie of 2 or more candidates, the tie must be resolved as provided by State law.
(6) If the voting system, vote tabulation system or similar or related equipment used by the City cannot feasibly accommodate choices equal to the total number of candidates running for each office, the Clerk shall limit the number of choices a voter may rank to no fewer than three.
(c) Until such time that State law enables the City to use the Ranked Choice Voting guidelines found in Section 13.5(b) for the election of City Officers, the candidate with the highest number of votes in their respective race shall be elected or nominated.
RESOLVED, That November 3, 2020 is designated as the day for holding an election on the proposed Charter amendment;
RESOLVED, That the City Clerk shall transmit a copy of the proposed amendment to the Attorney General and the Governor of Michigan and shall perform all other acts required by law for holding the election;
RESOLVED, That the proposed Charter amendment shall appear on the ballot in the following form:
PROPOSAL 4
ANN ARBOR CITY CHARTER AMENDMENT
RANKED CHOICE VOTING FOR THE ELECTION OF CITY OFFICERS
Shall Sections 13.4 and 13.5 of the Charter be amended to provide that the Mayor and City Council members are to be nominated and elected by a Ranked Choice Voting method in the event that State law allows for it?
? Yes ? No
RESOLVED, That the proposed Charter amendment and proposed ballot question shall be published in full not fewer than two times in the Washtenaw County Legal News;
RESOLVED, That if the amendment is adopted, it shall take effect on January 1, 2021.
Sponsored by: Mayor Taylor and Councilmembers Grand and Ackerman