Albany Ranked-Choice Voting Drive Submits 1,975 New Signatures; Referendum Possible in 2027
On November 1, the campaign for ranked-choice voting in Albany, Albany County, New York, reached a new step: the advocacy group Ranked Choice Albany said its second signature round this fall gathered 1,975 supporting signatures, submitted to the city clerk's office on Thursday. According to WAMC's November 1 report, if the clerk's office validates at least 1,200 of the newly submitted signatures, voters could decide on ranked-choice voting in a referendum as early as the 2027 general election.
The proposal would ask voters whether to abolish party primaries in favor of a single November election decided by ranked-choice voting. The reform would apply only to Albany municipal elections, including mayor and city council; if voters approve it, the system could take effect at the next municipal elections in 2029. The group had previously collected 2,624 valid signatures, but the city council never acted on the original petition, prompting the second round.
The referendum proposal must also be reviewed by the New York attorney general's office under the state Voting Rights Act. Albany County's Democratic and Working Families parties oppose abolishing party primaries. If adopted, Albany would become the third municipality in New York State to use ranked-choice voting.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 纽约州奥尔巴尼市政厅（资料图）。Navya Sriramaneni摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons。 / Albany City Hall in Albany, New York (file photo). Photo by Navya Sriramaneni, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
