King County Council delays ranked-choice voting proposal to next year

The King County Council announced Monday that it would delay its vote on putting the question of ranked-choice voting on the November ballot.

“We will postpone our ranked-choice voting legislation and continue working on it for next year’s ballot,” Councilmember Girmay Zahilay wrote on Twitter. “Most of my colleagues shared our interest but understandably wanted more time to work through the details without the fast deadlines associated with this November’s ballot.”

Zahilay wrote the ranked-choice voting proposal the council was expected to take a final vote on Tuesday. Last week, the council’s Committee of the Whole voted six to three to advance the proposal out of committee and to place it on Tuesday’s regular meeting agenda for a final vote.

The council had to approve Zahilay’s proposal by July 20 to get it on the November ballot. FairVote Washington, a state nonprofit that focuses on election reform, said in a Tuesday news release that such deadlines are vital when making changes in the election process. 

"Without a deadline, elected officials don’t ever have to act, leaving voters disappointed and election administrators uncertain," the release said. 

The measure would have allowed King County voters to decide if they wanted to replace the current method for electing county officials with ranked-choice voting, a system gaining popularity nationwide.

In that system, voters rank candidates in order of preference instead of casting one vote for a single candidate. The candidate that ultimately receives the most first and second-choice rankings would be declared the winner. If approved, local voters would use the system to elect the King County executive, assessor, director of elections, prosecuting attorney and members of the county council.

“Thank you all so much for supporting ranked-choice voting,” Zahilay wrote in another tweet. “Your advocacy has laid the foundation for voting reform in Washington. Let’s keep the momentum going and continue working on the legislation for next year.”