Amherst, Massachusetts, Home Rule Charter, Ballot Initiatives, and Ranked-Choice Voting Commission Amendment (March 2018)
| Amherst Home Rule Charter Amendment | |
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| Topic City governance and Local ballot measure process |
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| Type Referral |
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Amherst Home Rule Charter Amendment was on the ballot as a referral in Amherst on March 27, 2018. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported adopting a new home rule charter for Amherst, including:
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A "no" vote opposed adopting a new home rule charter for Amherst. |
Aftermath
Ranked-Choice Voting Commission
The ballot measure created the Ranked-Choice Voting Commission, which was authorized to propose a measure to adopt and implement ranked-choice voting for municipal elections in Amherst. The commission had until September 21, 2020, to propose legislation and findings. The commission's report can be viewed here.[1]
In Massachusetts, the General Court must approve an act to authorize a local government to change a town's electoral system. As of 2023, the General Court had not approved such an act for Amherst.[2]
Election results
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Amherst Home Rule Charter Amendment |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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3,502 | 58.43% | ||
| No | 2,491 | 41.57% | ||
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- Results are officially certified.
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Home Rule Charter Amendment was as follows:
| “ | Shall Amherst approve the new charter recommended by the charter commission, summarized below? | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
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A "Yes" vote on the new charter creates a Town Council/Town Manager form of government for Amherst. A “No” vote retains the current Representative Town Meeting/Select Board/Town Manager form of government. The charter provides for an elected 13-member Town Council composed of 10 District Councilors (2 in each of 5 districts) and 3 Councilors-at-Large, all serving two year terms. Each district is made up of two current voting precincts. The Town Council appoints and supervises a Town Manager to serve as chief executive officer. The Town Council replaces the 254-member Representative Town Meeting as the legislative body. The 5-member Select Board would also be eliminated, with the Town Council providing policy leadership and the Town Manager serving as chief executive officer. The Town Council approves the budget, authorizes borrowing, enacts local bylaws and resolutions, and provides policy leadership. It also confirms the Town Manager’s appointments of department heads and resident boards/committees. The Town Manager administers day-to-day operations, including appointment and supervision of Town employees; preparing the annual budget; and negotiating contracts. Local Election Day moves to November and is held in odd-numbered years. The terms of the School Committee, Library Trustees, Oliver Smith Will Elector, and 3 members of the Housing Authority will be 2 years. Town Councilors and School Committee members will receive stipends. District Councilors must hold two District Meetings per year, for two-way communication with their constituents. Three town-wide Forums also are required each year, for public discussion of the budget, the schools, and the master plan. The charter requires the Town Council to adopt a master plan and to consider whether proposed land use, zoning, or development regulations are consistent with the master plan. The Town Council appoints members of the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals. The Town Manager appoints members of the Redevelopment Authority. The charter allows voter-driven initiatives. It also enables voters to repeal Town Council actions through a “voter veto” process. The charter creates a Ranked-Choice Voting Commission and a Participatory Budgeting Commission. The Charter provides a city form of government when state law distinguishes between “towns” and “cities”. Amherst will continue to be known as the "Town of Amherst." | ” |
Background
Ranked-choice voting (RCV)
| Ranked-choice voting (RCV) ballot measures | |
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| Pages: • Ranked-choice voting (RCV) • History of RCV ballot measures • Electoral systems on the ballot • Local electoral systems on the ballot • Electoral systems by state | |
- See also: Ranked-choice voting (RCV)
The ballot measure has played a role in shaping electoral systems in the U.S., including ranked-choice voting (RCV) for state and local elections.
Since 1915, there have been more than 150 ballot measures to adopt or repeal ranked-choice voting systems. Ashtabula, Ohio, was the first jurisdiction to approve a ranked-choice voting measure in 1915.
RCV is an electoral system in which voters rank candidates on their ballots. RCV can be used for single-winner elections or multi-winner elections; when used for multi-winner elections, the system has also been called single-transferable vote or proportional representation. These terms were often used to describe multi-winner RCV before the 1970s. You can learn more about ranked-choice voting systems and policies here.
Local RCV ballot measures
Between 1965 and October 2025, 80 ranked-choice voting (RCV) local ballot measures were on the ballot in 59 jurisdictions in 19 states.
- Ballotpedia has located 72 local ballot measures to adopt RCV. Voters approved 57 (79.2%) and rejected 15 (20.8%).
- There were eight local ballot measures to repeal RCV. Voters approved four (50.0%) and rejected four (50.0%).
- The year with the most local RCV ballot measures was 2022, when nine were on the ballot in nine jurisdictions. Voters approved seven of them.
- The state with the most local ballot measures related to RCV is California, where there have been 13.
The following table shows the number of ranked-choice voting measures by policy direction.
| Direction | Total | Approved | Approved (%) | Defeated | Defeated (%) |
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| Adopt RCV | 72 | 57 | 79.2% | 15 | 20.8% |
| Repeal RCV | 8 | 4 | 50.0% | 4 | 50.0% |
| Total | 80 | 61 | 76.3% | 19 | 23.7% |
Path to the ballot
In March 2016, voters elected members of a Charter Commission for Amherst. In July 2017, the commission voted 5-3 to refer the revised home rule charter to voters.[3]
See also
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Footnotes
- ↑ Amherst, Massachusetts, "Ranked-Choice Voting Commission Report," December 1, 2020
- ↑ Daily Hampshire Gazette, "Ranked-choice voting advocates in Amherst want council to implement system on its own after Legislature ‘dragged their feet’," May 8, 2023
- ↑ Massachusetts Municipal Association, "Amherst approves new charter, switch to town council," March 28, 2016
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