KING COUNTY, Wash. — Ranked-choice voting won't be considered by the King County Council until at least next year.
Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, who introduced legislation that would allow for ranked-choice voting for county positions, announced its postponement.
"Most of my colleagues shared our interest but understandably wanted more time to work through the detail without the fast deadlines associated with this November's ballot," Zahilay tweeted.
Rather than picking one candidate, under ranked-choice voting, voters would be allowed to rank candidates in order of preference. This allows for instant runoffs, if no one wins more than 50% of the vote. It also means someone’s second or third choice could make the difference.
More than twenty jurisdictions across the country are using this method.
In order for ranked-choice voting to be considered in King County, the ordinance would have to pass the full council before going to the voters.
