Brief

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, seconded by Bob Blumenfield, introduced a motion directing staff to analyze ranked choice voting and approval voting as potential reforms to Los Angeles city elections. The motion seeks to evaluate how these alternative voting systems could work within the city's charter and election framework. It was referred to the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on May 1 and has been continued to a date to be determined as of May 21, 2026.

Full summary

This motion, introduced by Councilmember Monica Rodriguez and seconded by Bob Blumenfield, responds directly to a recommendation from the Charter Reform Commission to adopt ranked choice voting for City elections. The Commission backed RCV with the goals of improving voter turnout, reducing negative campaigning, and eliminating the need for runoff elections. Rodriguez's motion accepts those goals but argues that RCV should not be the only option on the table, and calls for a broader comparison that also examines approval voting. Under the motion's directive, the Chief Legislative Analyst, with assistance from the City Administrative Officer and the City Clerk, would produce a report analyzing ranked choice voting, approval voting, and any other voting reforms that could increase turnout and improve City elections as part of charter reform. Critically, the analysis must also cover the cost of changing the election process and whether the Los Angeles County election infrastructure could actually administer any proposed changes — a practical constraint that could significantly shape which reforms are feasible. Approval voting, as described in the motion, works differently from ranked choice: voters simply mark all candidates they support, and the candidate selected most often across all ballots wins. The motion frames this as a legitimate alternative worth studying alongside RCV rather than assuming one system is superior. The motion was referred to the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on May 1, 2026. The committee scheduled it for its May 21 meeting but continued it to a date to be determined, meaning no analysis has been commissioned yet. The file remains at an early exploratory stage, with no directives adopted and no staff report ordered. The file does not expire until May 2028, leaving ample time for the committee to act.

Activity (3)

• 2026-05-21 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee continued item to date to be determined.
• 2026-05-20 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on May 21, 2026.
• 2026-05-01 Motion referred to Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

Documents (2)

• 2026-05-21 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-05-01 Motion · motion