The board’s commissioners discussed the instant runoff option at a Jan. 3 meeting in Manhattan. For months, the board has been seeking to move this year’s primary to June from September to allow for more time for a runoff, which is triggered when no candidate gets at least 40% of the vote, and to consolidate federal, state and local elections. The state Legislature has so far not acted on the board’s request.
Instant runoff voting, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, is one of the option among eight that was selected by the board. The board voted to also explore a top-two method selecting the voters pick of two candidates with the most votes without ranking them.
Some board members still prefers moving the date to June, rather than using instant runoff voting, a favorite among good government groups. Voters would need to be educated, which could prove costly for the cash-strapped board. But conducting a run-off election would arguably be more expensive.
There has not been a runoff election since the adoption of the new optical voting machines in 2010, so the board hasn’t had a chance to fully vet the process.
Any changes will have to get pre-clearance from the Justice Department, rewrite of election laws, and will take time for coding, testing, and outside certification.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!
Michael H. Drucker
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