Measure to repeal ranked choice voting on the ballot in Minnetonka
MINNETONKA, Minn. -- Three years after voters approved ranked choice voting for city elections, there's a ballot question in Minnetonka asking them to repeal it.
Voters approved the change in 2020 by nearly 55%. But they'll get a chance to weigh in on the process again this fall, after a group successfully obtained enough signatures on a petition to get the issue on the ballot once again.
Residents of St. Paul, Minneapolis, St. Louis Park and Bloomington also vote this way. They can choose a few candidates and rank them according to their preference. If a candidate gets a majority–50% +1—they win outright.
If not, there's a runoff in which the person with the lowest number of first-choice votes gets eliminated and second choices on those ballots are counted and redistributed. This cycle continues until there's a winner.
"We want to repeal it because it's a costly, confusing and complex system and we don't want anyone to feel unwelcome in the voting booth," said Ellen Cousins, chair of the "Yes to Repeal RCV" committee.
Cousins said it's confusing because not all elections operate in this way. Ranked choice voting is not implemented for state or federal elections in Minnesota, and school board races on the same ballot this fall aren't using that system, either.
But supporters of ranked choice voting in Minnetonka say the system is fairer because it allows more voter choice and input since it eliminates the need for a primary, which traditionally sees low turnout.
They also argue it mitigates partisan politics that can fuel negative campaigns because the system pushes candidates to build broader coalitions of support.
"I think it's getting more difficult to encourage good leaders to run for elected offices. And one of the big drawbacks is if we have an August primary, they would have to start campaigning in June and nobody's paying attention," explained Barb Westmoreland, co-chair of the "Vote No on Repeal on Ranked Choice Voting in Minnetonka."
Cousins noted that the Minnetonka Charter Commission rejected a proposed ordinance from the city council to implement ranked choice voting, before the council voted to put it on the ballot for voter input.
That commission found "no credible evidence" the change boosts turnout, and determined it would increase city costs to administer elections by upwards of $100,000, according to its resolution.
"Let's make voting simple again and bring back our tried-and-true election system," she told WCCO.
In a survey by the city following the 2021 elections—the first time Minnetonka voters used the ranked choice system—more than 52% said their overall experience with it was "excellent or good" while nearly 33% said it was "poor or very poor."
All other respondents said they were neutral on the issue.
"It's a no-brainer. I think everyone would like ranked choice voting if they really took a look at it," Westmoreland said.
Other cities across the U.S. use ranked choice voting, but only Alaska and Maine have implemented it for some of their state and federal elections.
There was legislation at the state capitol this year to implement ranked choice voting for state and federal elections, but it didn't pass. Instead, lawmakers approved a study by the secretary of state that will look broadly at voter issues and improvements to elections, including ranked choice voting.
The report from that study isn't due to the legislature until 2025.