Bloomington, Minnesota, Question 3, Ranked-Choice Voting Amendment (November 2020)
| Bloomington Question 3 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2020 | |
| Topic Local electoral systems and Local charter amendments | |
Status Approved | |
| Type Referral | Origin Lawmakers |
Bloomington Question 3 was on the ballot as a referral in Bloomington on November 3, 2020. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported amending the city charter to elect the mayor and city council members through ranked choice voting, a system in which voters rank candidates and tabulation occurs in rounds that eliminate the candidate with the fewest votes until one candidate receives a majority of votes. |
A "no" vote opposed this measure to establish ranked choice voting for mayor and city council elections, thereby leaving the existing plurality election system in place consisting of a primary election and a general election at which voters select one candidate and the candidate with the most votes wins. |
Election results
|
Bloomington Question 3 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
|
|
25,339 | 51.19% | ||
| No | 24,158 | 48.81% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 3 was as follows:
| “ | Should the Bloomington City Charter be amended to elect the Mayor and City Council members by the Ranked Choice Voting method? | ” |
Support
Yes on 3 for Ranked Choice Voting, backed by the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting Bloomington, led the support campaign for Question 3.[1]
Supporters
- Andrew Carlson, MN Representative (50B)[1]
- Michael Howard, MN Representative (50A)[1]
- Melissa H. Wiklund, MN Senator (SD50)[1]
- Jenna Carter, Bloomington City Councilmember At-Large[1]
- Coral Houle, Former Bloomington Mayor[1]
- Karen Nordstrom, Former Bloomington City Council Member[1]
- Tom Bennett, Bloomington School Board Member[1]
Arguments
Yes on 3 for Ranked Choice voting said:[1]
| “ |
Only 5-10% of Bloomington voters participate in the summer primary and decide who we get to vote for in November for mayor and city council. Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) would eliminate the low-turnout, costly primary and allow all candidates to run in November, when voter turnout is higher and more representative of our diverse community.[2] |
” |
Opposition
No to Ranked Choice Voting led the campaign opposing Question 3[3]
Opponents
- Ranked Choice Voting is a Scam, Bloomington, MN[4]
- Kathy Kranz, co-chair of the Senate District 50 Republicans[5]
Arguments
Kathy Kranz, co-chair of the Senate District 50 Republicans, said:[5]
| “ |
The Ranked Choice Voting method has been marketed to our City Council and our voting masses to appeal to all the heightened emotions of our turbulent times. It is a proposed solution in search of problems that it cannot address. Make sure you are an informed voter about what RCV really is, a redistribution of your votes. [...] RCV disqualifies at least 10% of ballots during elections and can re-direct your vote to candidates you do not support. RCV was rejected by Bloomington’s Charter Commission after they cut through the one-sided stories from outside influencers and their money during emergency times. RCV elected the failing Mayor and Minneapolis City Council with the same over-the-top promises we are now hearing with a 21% ballot exhaustion rate last election. How does that help more people vote and have greater support for the winner? Join with your fellow grassroots residents to put this silly notion to bed once and for all by voting “NO” on Ballot Question 3.[2] |
” |
Background
Ranked-choice voting (RCV)
| Ranked-choice voting (RCV) ballot measures | |
|---|---|
| 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 2024, 79 ranked-choice voting (RCV) local ballot measures were on the ballot in 58 jurisdictions in 19 states.
- Ballotpedia has located 71 local ballot measures to adopt RCV. Voters approved 52 (78.9%) and rejected 15 (21.1%).
- 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 topic.
| Local ranked-choice vote measures by topic and outcome, 1965 - April 2025 | |||||
| Topic | Total | Approved | Approved (%) | Defeated | Defeated (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adopt RCV | 72 | 57 | 79.2% | 15 | 20.08% |
| Repeal RCV | 8 | 4 | 50.0% | 4 | 50.0% |
| Total | 80 | 61 | 76.3% | 19 | 23.7% |
Path to the ballot
On July 27, 2020, the Bloomington City Council voted 6-1 to put Question 3 on the ballot.[6]
In Minnesota, city charter amendments must first be considered by a charter commission. The commissions must provide a recommendation within a certain time frame, but city councils are not bound by the commission's recommendation. On July 9, the Bloomington Charter Commission voted 7-5 to reject the proposed amendment.[6]
See also
External links
Support
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Opposition
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Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Ranked Choice Voting Bloomington, "Home," accessed October 23, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ No to Ranked Choice Voting, "Facebook," accessed October 20, 2020
- ↑ Ranked Choice Voting is a Scam, "Bloomington, MN," accessed October 22, 2020
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Senate District 49 Republians, "Ranked Choice Voting - Why Vote 'NO,'" September 1, 2020
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bloomington Minnesota, "Ranked Choice Voting FAQs," accessed October 20, 2020
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