ACTION:
____________________________
Clerk/Secretary
Department: City Manager Item No: D5
Prepared by: John Conley, City Manager Meeting Date: April 28, 2026 Approved by: John Conley, City Manager Agenda Location: Discussion SUBJECT: RANKED CHOICE VOTING
RECOMMENDATION: Discuss ranked choice voting and provide direction to staff.
PRIOR ACTION: None.
STATEMENT ON THE SUBJECT: Councilmember Melendez requested the City Manager place a discussion item on an upcoming agenda to discuss ranked choice voting. A ranked choice voting system is an electoral system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots. Below is an example of how ranked choice voting works:
1.Voters rank the candidates for a given office by preference on their ballots.
2.If a candidate wins an outright majority of first-preference votes (i.e., 50 percent plus one), he or she will be declared the winner.
3.If, on the other hand, no candidates win an outright majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated.
4.All first-preference votes for the failed candidate are eliminated, and second-preference choices on these ballots are then counted as first-preference.
5.A new tally is conducted to determine whether any candidate has won an outright majority of the ballots.
6.The process is repeated until a candidate wins a majority of votes cast.
Implementation of a ranked choice electoral system would require voter approval.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no direct fiscal impact associated with this discussion item.
EXHIBITS: None.
AGENDA
REPORT
CITY COUNCIL
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
SUCCESSOR AGENCY
BUENA SANITATION DISTRICT
JOINT POWERS FINANCING AUTHORITY
Discussed ranked choice voting. Vote: No Vote
From:Carah Ong Whaley
To:Public Comments; Katie Melendez
Subject:Public Comment on D5 Ranked Choice Voting, April 28, 2026 Date:Monday, April 27, 2026 8:05:20 AM
Some people who received this message don't often get email from [email protected]. Learn why this isimportant Mayor Franklin, Deputy Mayor O'Donnell, and Councilmembers Melendez, Contreras, and Fox,
Thank you for taking up Agenda Item D5 to open a discussion on ranked choice voting and for inviting public input. I appreciate the City’s careful, deliberative approach to modernizing elections in a way that strengthens voter confidence and preserves administrative clarity.
I support a charter amendment that authorizes the use of ranked ballots in Vista city elections without specifying a single tabulation method in the charter itself. Authorizing ranked ballots while directing the City Council to establish, by ordinance, the ballot format and the method for tabulating those ballots is a prudent approach that allows for innovation and public input at the ordinance stage while giving Vista room to incorporate best practices as evidence and election technology evolve.
Ranked ballots have meaningful voter-centered benefits. They allow voters to express preferences among candidates rather than being limited to selecting only one candidate.
Ranked ballots can reduce vote splitting and the spoiler effect, and encourage candidates to seek support from a broader share of the electorate, which can support more constructive campaigning.
When Vista considers how ranked ballots should be counted, I strongly support head-to-head tabulation rather than the elimination rounds used under Instant Runoff Voting (commonly referred to ranked choice voting in the U.S. even though there are superior tabulation methods when using ranked ballots). Head-to-head tabulation compares candidates directly against each other using voter preferences and produces a clear, auditable matrix of one-on-one results.
Unlike Instant Runoff tabulation which uses elimination rounds, head-to-head matchups makes every candidate and every voter matter. It gives every voter an equal say and candidates compete on a fair playing field against all of the other candidates on the ballot. No candidates are eliminated. Every head-to-head contest among candidates is worth the same as every other.
It is also straightforward to explain and verify because there are no elimination rounds or complicated algorithms. Voters can express their preferences honestly for the candidates they like most AND still have a say about the ones they like least. The election winner is the candidate that best and most fairly reflects the voters’ choices.
In addition, I respectfully encourage the Council to ask staff to evaluate another option.
This option builds on the same head-to-head principle—ensuring every voter matters and providing a level playing field for candidates—but does not require ranked ballots at all: Top 3 all voter primary, plus Head-to-Head Voting in the General Election. Under this approach, all candidates compete in a qualifying election open to all voters using simple pick-one voting,
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and the top three advance to the general election.
In the general election, voters then express their preferences directly in each of the three head- to-head matchups among the finalists (A vs. B, A vs. C, and B vs. C). The winner is the candidate who defeats each of the other candidates head-to-head when such a candidate exists, with a clear fallback rule if needed. This option preserves a familiar pick-one experience in the qualifying stage while still producing the transparency and legitimacy benefits of head-to-head results in the decisive election. Furthermore, this option would expand voter choice without burdensome auditing procedures or necessarily requiring expensive new tabulation software.
Thank you again for your consideration and thoughtful approach to election modernization. I appreciate Vista’s commitment to improving local elections in a way that is practical and worthy of public confidence. I am very happy to meet and discuss Vista's initiative further to help explore the best possible fit that will ensure every voter matters, and that every candidate competes on a level playing field.
Sincerely,
Carah
--
Carah Ong Whaley, PhD
Executive Director, Better Choices for Democracy
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D5
From:Denisse Barragan
To:Public Comments
Subject:Item D5 – Ranked Choice Voting Discussion
Date:Monday, April 27, 2026 1:49:02 PM
Dear Mayor and Members of the Vista City Council,
I am writing regarding Agenda Item D5, the discussion of ranked choice voting for Vista’s mayoral and City Council races. After reviewing the issue, I do not believe this is the right fit for our city.
Ranked choice voting (RCV) is typically used in jurisdictions with crowded races, multiple candidates, and costly runoff elections. Vista does not face those conditions. Our local races often struggle to attract more than two or three candidates, and in some cases seats have gone uncontested. The circumstances that are often used to justify ranked choice voting simply do not exist here.
The use of RCV is also very limited. Nationally, fewer than 0.26 percent of U.S. cities have implemented ranked choice voting. In California, fewer than 2 percent of cities use it. Even the City of San Diego, with a much larger population and more complex elections, has discussed ranked choice voting multiple times without moving forward. Santa Clara approved ranked choice voting in 1998 and still has not implemented it, which raises real questions about how practical RCV actually is.
Additionally, in a 2010 San Francisco Board of Supervisors race conducted using ranked choice voting, the count went to 20 rounds. Over 9,000 ballots were exhausted during the process, meaning some voters ultimately had no say in the final outcome. That is not what a stronger democracy looks like.
This comes with real costs to the City of Vista and would require spending taxpayer dollars on a system we don’t need. Reprogramming systems, training staff, voter education, legal expenses, and placing a measure on the ballot all require funding. These dollars come directly from Vista taxpayers without a clear benefit to our city.
I would ask whether this is the best use of the Council’s time and the City’s resources.
Residents expect focus on pressing issues such as public safety, road conditions, economic development, homelessness, and affordability. This proposal does not address those concerns.
Ranked choice voting may be appropriate in other jurisdictions under the right conditions. For Vista, it appears to be a solution in search of a problem.
Thank you for your consideration.
Denisse Barragan
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Cvnara Velazquez
Public Comments; John Franklin; Katie Melendez: Dan o"Donnell; Corinna Contreras; Jeffrev Fox D5. Ranked Choice Voting (CC) - Please support putting Rank Choice Voting on the Ballot! Tuesday, April 28, 2026 1:58:29 PM
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Dear Vista City Council Members,
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As a supporter of Rank Choice Voting, I am very excited to see a discussion of Rank Choice Voting on your docket.
Rank Choice voting has many advantages, including:
• Determines the candidate with the strongest support
• Encourages civil campaigning
• Reduces wasted votes
• Eliminates the need for multiple elections
• Determines the candidate with the strongest support
Ranked choice voting reveals the candidate with the most support across the entire electorate, not just the most passionate base.
Once there's more than two candidates in a typical "most votes wins" election, it's very easy for the "winner" to have a weak plurality of support. It's entirely possible that the winning candidate only commands 38% of the vote when a majority of the electorate would have preferred someone else (not a contrived example).
Ranked choice voting allows the will of the majority to emerge.
Encourages civil campaigning
Campaigns in elections using ranked choice voting have a stark difference from typical "most votes wins" elections playing for second place is a viable strategy. This reduces the incentive to go "scorched earth" on an opponent. Elections in Maine and New York City have already been shown to be more positive and civil once they shifted to ranked choice voting (check out this collaborative campaign ad to see for yourself). Mary Peltola's winning campaign in Alaska's 2022 Congressional Special Election focused on local issues and positivity while her opponents continued bashing her and each other.
Reduces wasted votes
Voters no longer have to play pundit when voting gaming out who is the most electable and then strategically voting for that candidate. Instead, voters rank their most preferred candidate without fear of wasting their vote. If their most preferred candidate isn't viable, that candidate is eliminated and the votes move to their second -ranked choices. There's no penalty for voting for whom you believe in even if that candidate is not the most likely to win.
Eliminates the need for multiple elections
In elections that have runoff requirements, ranked choice voting allows a winner to be found in a single trip to the polls for voters. In fact, another name for ranked choice voting is "instant runoff." This saves money for the jurisdiction, reduces hassle for busy voters, and removes the D5
distortions caused by the differing electorates between the general election and the (typically lower turnout) runoff.
There are many Rank Choice Voter Systems being utilized in 49 jurisdictions across the United States, and there is not yet a consensus on the "ideal" system. (and the ideal system for one jurisdiction, may not be the same for another.)
For this reason, I would encourage the city council to propose a voter charter amendment that would allow the council to enact and adjust a rank choice voting system in the future. Here is my modest ballot language proposal:
The Charter of the City of Vista is hereby amended to add a new section to read as follows:
Section ____.
Elections Using Ranked Ballots
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, municipal elections for elective office shall utilize ranked ballots.
(b) A ranked ballot is a ballot on which a voter may rank candidates in order of preference in the manner provided by ordinance.
(c) The City Council shall, by ordinance, establish:
the form of the ranked ballot;
the number of rankings a voter may express;
the method for tabulating ranked ballots;
procedures for determining election results; and
any additional rules or procedures necessary to implement this section, consistent with this Charter and applicable law.
(d) Nothing in this section requires any particular tabulation method unless and until such method is established by ordinance.
(e) The City Clerk may adopt administrative rules and procedures, consistent with this section and any ordinance adopted under it, as necessary to administer City elections using ranked ballots.
Thank You,
Cynara Velazquez