Albuquerque City Council set to revisit ranked-choice voting on April 6
Albuquerque NM – City Council is set to vote April 6 on ranked-choice voting for future mayoral and council races, with cost, turnout and voter education at issue.
Albuquerque City Council is scheduled to take final action Monday, April 6, on a proposal that would change how the city handles future mayoral and City Council elections.
The measure, O-26-13, is listed in the final-actions section of the council agenda for the 5 p.m. meeting. The basic question is straightforward: should Albuquerque keep requiring a separate runoff election when no candidate clears 50 percent, or switch to a ranked-choice runoff counted from the same ballot?
What would change
Under the current city charter, mayoral and City Council candidates must receive at least 50 percent of the vote to win outright. If nobody reaches that mark, the city holds a separate runoff within 45 days between the top two finishers.
O-26-13 would replace that system for those city offices with ranked-choice voting. Voters would rank candidates in order of preference on the regular local election ballot, rather than returning for a second election later.
The proposal would not take effect right away. The ordinance says the change would begin with Albuquerque’s regular local election in November 2027 if the bill is approved.
Why this vote matters now
This is not a routine committee item moving smoothly to the floor. The Finance and Government Operations Committee considered the bill on March 9, and a motion to send it to the full council with a do-pass recommendation failed on a 4-1 vote. Even after that setback, the ordinance remained alive and is now set for a full-council vote.
That makes Monday’s meeting the real test of whether ranked-choice voting has enough support to move forward in Albuquerque.
Why residents may care
The practical stakes are mostly about cost, turnout and election logistics.
The ordinance points to six runoff elections since 2013, including a City Council runoff and a mayoral runoff in 2025. It says Bernalillo County estimated the 2025 runoffs would cost $1.6 million. The Paper later reported that the county’s final bill to the city reached $1.8 million.
Supporters argue that avoiding separate runoff elections could spare the city repeated election costs and reduce the burden on voters who otherwise have to come back for a second round. The ordinance also argues that runoff elections can draw fewer voters than the initial election and that ranked-choice voting could improve participation by letting people rank multiple candidates at once.
Those outcomes are arguments, not guarantees. Whether the system would actually save money over time or lift participation would depend on how future elections play out and how well the city explains the ballot format to voters.
What opposition has looked like
Local reporting by The Paper shows some skepticism remains on the council. Councilor Dan Lewis has criticized ranked-choice voting as unfair and too complicated, while Councilor Brook Bassan has raised concerns about whether it gives candidates an equal opportunity to win.
That matters because Monday’s debate is likely to turn less on the idea of election reform in general and more on whether councilors think Albuquerque voters, election administrators and candidates are ready for the change.
What to watch Monday
If council passes O-26-13, Albuquerque would be on track to use ranked-choice voting for mayoral and City Council races starting in November 2027, and the City Clerk would be directed to build a public education campaign before then.
If the measure fails, the current runoff system stays in place unless councilors bring back another proposal later.
For residents who want to weigh in, the April 6 agenda says public-comment sign-up closes at 4 p.m. the day of the meeting. The meeting itself starts at 5 p.m.
For Albuquerque voters, the immediate issue is not just how ballots might look in 2027. It is whether the city wants to keep paying for separate runoffs and asking voters to return for a second election, or try to settle those races on one ballot with a different set of rules.
