* Warning: This is an unofficial, introductory copy of the bill.
The official copy considered by the City Council is the first reader copy.
Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Henry
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Request for State Action - Ranked Choice Voting or Open Primaries
For the purpose of calling on the state to pass enabling legislation that authorizes Baltimore City to adopt either a ranked choice or open primary election voting system, to ensure inclusive and democratic elections for City officials.
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Recitals
Baltimore, unlike most major cities, selects party candidates for the general election through partisan primaries. Since Baltimore voters are overwhelmingly registered Democrats and no
non-Democrat has been elected to a major City office for decades, this effectively means that the
preferences of Baltimore's thousands of non-Democratic voters have no impact on the selection
of our elected officials.
Equally troubling is the fact that a primary candidate can secure the nomination and the party's sole spot on the general election ballot, with a plurality of votes rather than an outright majority, which means that in a crowded field of candidates the party nomination can easily go to someone who a majority of primary voters actually voted against. Under these circumstances, we could find ourselves in a city of well over half a million being governed by people who were the first choice of only a few thousand residents - a profoundly anti-democratic result.
Ranked choice voting and open primaries encourage candidates to make more voter contact than the traditional style of voting. Aiming to reach as many voters as possible, instead of catering towards a certain demographic, elects more diverse representation. Furthermore, candidates are less likely to negatively campaign because they are still working to rank somewhere on the voters’ ballots. Creating a system that incentivizes civility over cynicism is an essential to move democracy forward.
Many other communities - including more than 80% of the United States’ 50 largest cities with elected mayors - avoid these issues by either having ranked choice voting or an open primary system. Under these systems, all qualified candidates for office, regardless of party affiliation, run in one primary election open to all voters. To be elected, a candidate must then secure a majority of votes in either the primary or a subsequent general election between the top 2 vote getters. Adopting either of these approaches ensures that all voters have a say in who will govern them and prevents a candidate from being elected without genuine support from a majority of voters.
Baltimore would be well served to adopt a more democratic and inclusive approach, particularly at a time when so many Baltimoreans are questioning whether or not our government
truly represents them and can be responsive to their needs. However, much like the effort to
align our municipal and national election cycles, this is a change that would need alterations to
State law to enact.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of Baltimore, That the City Council calls on the state to pass enabling legislation that authorizes Baltimore City to adopt either a ranked choice or open primary election voting system, to ensure inclusive and democratic elections for City officials.
And be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Governor, the Mayor, the Honorable Chairs and Members of the Baltimore City House and Senate Delegations to the Maryland General Assembly, the President of the Maryland Senate, the Maryland House Speaker, and the Mayor’s Legislative Liaison to the City Council.