Seattle voters to face ranked-choice voting on fall ballots
This fall Seattle voters will see two different reform measures on their ballots, each with the potential to transform how the city elects candidates.
On Thursday, the Seattle City Council voted 7-2 to put “ranked-choice” voting on the fall ballot. If it passes, voters would be asked to rank up to five candidates in city races, in any order they want.
King County elections would then start a series of ballot counts that resemble the TV show “Survivor,” where the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated after each round. The last two candidates standing then move on to the general election in the fall.
Councilmember Andrew Lewis sponsored the measure, which will appear alongside another reform idea called "approval voting.”
That initiative recently qualified for the ballot after months of signature-gathering by organizers. If "approval” voting passes, voters would pick as many candidates as they want, and the two with the most "approve" votes go on to the general election.
Voters will still have a third option on their ballot – reject both measures and stick with the current system, where the person with the most votes wins.
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David Hyde
Reporter
David’s people-focused politics coverage tracks local and national races. At KUOW, David has also reported for our Hearken Team answering listener questions,and covered a variety of other topics ranging from vaccine hesitancy to climate change.
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