| Caroline Cummings | WCCO |
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Only five cities have ranked choice voting for their local elections, but some state lawmakers want to give more communities that option.
A bill that advanced in a House committee Tuesday would give more the greenlight to implement ranked choice voting. Supporters say this gives voters more of a say in who their elected leaders are and forces candidates to appeal to a broader set of the electorate in order to win.
This is about local choice
“This is about local choice, and local autonomy and leveling that playing field to allow all cities and local units of government if they wish—and only if they wish—to adopt this,” Simon said. “Nothing is permanent, if they don’t like it, they can always get rid of it.”
Last fall there was an effort in Minnetonka to repeal ranked choice voting only two years after a majority of voters approved it; that measure failed. The legislation at the capitol would also set statewide standards for ranked choice voting, so cities don’t diverge in how they implement it.