Brief

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez introduced a motion, seconded by Bob Blumenfield, directing staff to examine ranked choice voting and approval voting as alternatives to the current election system. The motion proposes exploring how these voting reforms could apply to City elections and potentially require charter amendments. It was referred to the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on May 1, 2026, and scheduled for committee discussion on May 21, 2026.

Full summary

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez introduced this motion in response to a Charter Reform Commission recommendation to switch Los Angeles city elections to ranked choice voting. Rather than accepting RCV as the only option to study, Rodriguez moved to broaden the inquiry to include approval voting and any other reforms that could increase voter turnout and improve City elections. Bob Blumenfield seconded the motion. The motion directs the Chief Legislative Analyst, with assistance from the City Administrative Officer and the City Clerk, to produce a comparative analysis of ranked choice voting, approval voting, and other potential voting reforms. Under RCV, voters rank candidates in order of preference and votes are redistributed through elimination rounds until a candidate secures a majority. Under approval voting, voters select all candidates they support and the candidate chosen most frequently wins. The Charter Reform Commission had backed RCV specifically for its potential to improve voter turnout, reduce negative campaigning, and eliminate costly runoff elections — but the motion argues that RCV should not be the only alternative on the table. The required analysis must also address two practical questions: what costs would be associated with changing the City's election process, and whether Los Angeles County would be able to administer any changes. Those two factors — implementation cost and county administrative capacity — could significantly shape which reforms are actually feasible, making this a substantive scoping exercise rather than a purely theoretical one. The motion was referred to the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on May 1, 2026, and scheduled for a committee hearing on May 21, 2026. The file remains pending in committee with no action taken beyond referral and scheduling. It is active and does not expire until May 2028.

Activity (2)

• 2026-05-20 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on May 21, 2026.
• 2026-05-01 Motion referred to Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

Documents (1)

• 2026-05-01 Motion · motion