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FW: Office of Board President Lee - Letter of Support for 6/23 City Council Meeting Item 3.3 Ballot Measure for Ranked Choice Vacancies
FromCity Clerk <[email protected]>
Date Mon 6/22/2026 10:30 AM
To Agendadesk <[email protected]>
1 attachment (187 KB)
SJ City Council 6.23 Item 3.3 RCV Letter of Support.pdf;
From: Tachibana, Jordan <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, June 22, 2026 10:05 AM
To: City Clerk <[email protected]>
Cc: Pachoud, Emily <[email protected]>; Rahdar, Elica <[email protected]> Subject: Office of Board President Lee - Letter of Support for 6/23 City Council Meeting Item 3.3 Ballot Measure for Ranked Choice Vacancies
You don't often get email from [email protected]. Learn why this is important Hello,
Happy Monday, I hope your office had a restful weekend!
Please find a Letter of Support from President Lee attached as a PDF ahead of tomorrow’s City Council meeting.
The letter is for Item 3.3 – Ranked Choice Voting for Vacancies.
Thank you very much!
Please let me know if there are any questions or if I should submit in a different format. Happy to adjust as needed.
Warmly,
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Jordan Tachibana
Policy Analyst
Office of Supervisor Otto Lee, District Three, County of Santa Clara 70 West Hedding Street, East Wing, 10th Floor | San José, CA 95110 Office: (408) 299-5030
Pronouns: she/her/hers
[email protected]
Follow D3 online: SupervisorLee.org | Instagram@OttoLeeD3 | Facebook/SupervisorOttoLee
Otto Lee
President
Supervisor, District Three
County of Santa Clara
Government Center, East Wing
70 West Hedding Street, 10th Floor
San Jose, California 95110
Tel: (408) 299-5030 Fax: (408) 298-6637
[email protected] www.supervisorlee.org
June 22, 2026
Mayor Matt Mahan and San Jose City Council Members
200 E Santa Clara St.
San Jose, CA 95113
SUBJ: Support Ballot Measure for Ranked Choice Voting for Vacancies - City Council 6/23 Item 3.3
Dear Mayor Mahan and Members of the San Jose City Council,
As Santa Clara County Supervisor representing District 3, I am writing to offer my strong support for the proposed November ballot measure to amend the San Jose city charter to offer the City Council the opportunity to authorize the use of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in the case of special elections to fill vacancies.
As we have seen both locally and nationally, special elections to fill vacancies are some of the most expensive elections- redirecting millions of dollars that could otherwise support critical services and programs. In light of recent state and federal cuts, these costs must be taken into further consideration. In San Jose, if no candidate wins a majority of votes, the city must run a separate runoff, which increases costs and delays stable representation for constituents in a time of great need. For example, the 2025 District 3 special election cost approximately $2.1 million for the first election and an additional $1.5 million in the runoff, totaling $3.6 million that could have otherwise funded various essential services.
It is also important to note that this measure simply provides RCV as an additional option in the City's toolbox. San José would retain the flexibility to evaluate each special election on a case-by-case basis and determine the approach that best serves its residents. This proposal is not a mandate or a wholesale change to the City's election system—it is a practical, measured option that can help reduce costs, improve efficiency, and strengthen voter participation when vacancies occur.
As communities continue to face growing challenges and limited public resources, we must look for innovative ways to make government more effective and responsive. Providing the option to utilize Ranked Choice Voting in special elections offers a commonsense path forward—one that promotes fiscal responsibility, preserves timely representation for constituents, and expands opportunities for voter engagement.
For these reasons, I respectfully urge support for placing this charter amendment before the voters and allowing the residents of San José the opportunity to decide whether Ranked Choice Voting should be available as a tool for future special elections.
Sincerely,
Otto O. Lee
Board President