Bloomington residents decide to keep ranked-choice voting

Bloomington residents decided to keep using ranked-choice voting to select the mayor and City Council.

The city has used ranked-choice voting to select local leaders in the past two elections, but a question on the ballot this year asked if they want to repeal the system. Preliminary election results showed about 51% of voters chose to keep the system.

“We’re thrilled that our city will continue using ranked-choice voting,” said Laura Calbone, with Vote NO on Repeal, a group supported by FairVote Minnesota. Calbone said the system gives voters more choices and can lead to a more inclusive government.

Bloomington is one of five Minnesota cities that use ranked-choice voting to determine the winners of local races, and residents have debated the system’s merits.

Members of Residents for a Better Bloomington, the group that led the repeal effort, argued the method is confusing and undermines voters’ faith in the system.

David Clark, the group’s co-founder said, “We’re disappointed that the repeal did not pass, but from our standpoint, it just points to the outside influence of out-of-state money. It’s a David and Goliath thing.”

He pointed to a late-October donation to the Vote NO on Repeal group from a Maryland-based committee in favor of ranked-choice voting.

Ranked-choice voting replaces the system where candidates would face off first in a primary election, and the winners would then compete in a general election. Instead, voters cast their ballots once and rank their choices.