Senate passes bill to eliminate runoff voting in New York City

Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) for New York City elections has been approved by the State Senate.

The bill, passed through the Senate on Wednesday, June 17, would enable the two top vote-getters to advance immediately to a primary, by having voters rank their choice of candidates, potentially saving the city at least $13 million, and also ensuring that a broader swathe of the electorate is involved in the selection process.

Now, Citizens Union, a nonpartisan organization that works to ensure fair and open elections, is calling on the State Assembly to pass the legislation that would eliminate the city’s historically poorly attended and costly runoff elections.

According to Citizens Union, “This method would guarantee that the winning candidate for nomination, if not selected outright by a majority of voters as the first choice candidate, would be chosen as the preferred candidate by a majority of the electorate.”

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