Las Cruces to join S.F. with ranked-choice voting in 2019

Santa Fe was first in the state to implement ranked-choice voting; Las Cruces will be second.

New Mexico joins a handful other states where cities have adopted ranked-choice voting. Four Bay Area cities in California use ranked choice; Minnesota has two cities, St. Paul and Minneapolis; and two small cities in Colorado have approved the format, though only one has used it. Also, Maine has adopted the format for state elections.

In a ranked-choice election, voters rank the candidates in a race. Last-place finishers are eliminated until one candidate has a majority of votes.

Advocates of the format say it encourages collegial campaigning as candidates must appeal to their rivals’ voters for what can be crucial second- and third-place rankings.

The Las Cruces City Council moved unanimously Monday night to adopt ranked-choice beginning with its November 2019 elections when city voters will elect a mayor and fill three of six council seats.

The straightforward council vote was a contrast to the twists the city of Santa Fe underwent in adopting its ranked-choice ordinance last fall. There were court battles, city attorneys arguing the city’s charter violated the state constitution and ultimately a judge ordering the city to employ the format, which voters approved in 2008.

Santa Fe’s first ranked-choice election was held in March.

Doña Ana County Clerk Scott Krahling, whose office will oversee consolidated city-county elec-

tions, said the Las Cruces move to ranked-choice will “simplify the election calendar and empower voters with more than just a zero-sum game.”

“It’s amazing to me to look at what happened in Santa Fe,” Krahling added, referring to voter-education efforts and increased turnout. “We tend to not give people enough credit. This isn’t that complicated. People will figure it out.”

The shift will save Las Cruces money on elections, according to the city’s ranked-choice resolution. The city now holds a runoff election when a candidate doesn’t get a majority in a first election.

Maria Perez, director of the Santa Fe-based FairVote New Mexico, a ranked-choice advocacy group, said the Las Cruces decision represented “a great day for democracy in New Mexico.”

The Las Cruces city councilors “made it clear that as a governing body their priority is increasing civic engagement by giving voters a stronger voice in their local elections,” Perez said. “I anticipate that other municipalities around the state will follow suit.”