Vote different, Santa Fe
Love it or hate it, ranked-choice voting is on schedule to happen in the March municipal election. That is, unless the Supreme Court calls a halt one way or another. Until that happens, the city of Santa Fe — finally — is preparing voters for a new way of electing their leaders.
And voters, there is not much time left. That means, as informed and active citizens, pay attention. The election can run smoothly or be a big mess. So that doesn’t happen, voters must become educated. Citizenship is active — not passive — and that will be true more than ever this spring.
To help everyone understand how to mark their ballot, the city of Santa Fe has started Vote Different Santa Fe, a campaign of education and instruction. This election, voters can choose more than one candidate in races where there are more than two choices. It’s the opportunity (endorsed by citizens in a 2008 charter referendum) to pick your favorite and then rank the other candidates so that if your choice loses, you still can make a difference in who wins eventually. Think of it as an instant runoff.
But it won’t work if voters are unsure how to fill in the blanks and lines grow too long at polling places — with contested races in all but one of the four council races and a vigorous campaign already going for mayor, the election is likely to attract heavy turnout. We’d urge people to vote early, too, so that on Election Day proper come March, there is enough time for all to deliberate and cast ballots correctly. Many things can go wrong — it’s the first time this particular voter software will be used, for example.
For those reasons, citizens need to take advantage of education programs so they are prepared. The last thing the city needs is voters who show up, don’t understand what is happening and then blame everyone but themselves. We already are seeing folks upset about the ranked-choice voting system in the first place. Did they vote against it? Did they seek to put another charter amendment on the ballot to revoke it? Or did they not pay attention and now are stuck with what more active citizens put in place?
To get ready, go to votedifferentsantafe.com, and look at the ranked-choice ballot. The city’s effort is being led by public information officer Matt Ross, and he will be out and about answering questions and trying to keep people informed. The sample ranked-choice ballot is on the home page of the website — with candidates named for animals listed on the left and above, the numbers 1-5 for people to rank, with ovals by each name under each number. Voters pick among Betty Bear, Felix Fox, Lucinda Lizard, Roberto Rabbit or Diego Deer, filling in the 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 oval. Marking the ballot is intuitive and makes sense. We don’t think voters will have trouble if the ballot shown is what they will see in the polling booth.
But voters have other questions. Can they vote for just one candidate rather than ranking everyone? Evidently they can, but that means that once their one candidate comes in last, they no longer have a say. It’s the equivalent of voting in an election but failing to show up for a runoff. By ranking all candidates, voters have a say until the very end.
The ballot is not all that is available. The website also has a number of frequently asked questions, with information about how to fill out a ballot and explanations of how the votes are counted. There also is information about registering to vote, council districts and voting convenience centers.
Of course, many people in Santa Fe do not use the internet. Outreach will be necessary. City officials plan to take such sensible steps as visiting senior centers, holding public forums and advertising in newspapers and radio to let people know the election ahead is different. The city will be spending $150,000 to conduct its education campaign.
A lot of work remains, with little time remaining. Citizens, take time to learn how this election will work — for now, anyway, ranked-choice voting is enshrined in law. Santa Fe will be the first city in New Mexico to use the system. We can do this. And we can do it well. Let’s show the state.