May 28, 2026
Daniella Heminghaus/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Philadelphia City Council approved a resolution supporting a state effort to allow ranked-choice voting in local elections.
Philadelphia City Council is calling on the Pennsylvania House to pass a bill to allow an electoral method which lets voters rank the candidates in order of preference instead of selecting just one.
The legislative body on Thursday approved a resolution that urges the state to pass the legislation, which was introduced by state Rep. Chris Rabb (D), of Philadelphia. The measure passed 15-1, with Councilmember Brian O'Neill, the body's lone Republican, voting against it.
Ranked-choice voting means that instead of marking a single candidate on a ballot, voters denote their top pick, second choice, third choice and so on. If a candidate receives more than half of the first-choice votes, they win the race. But if there's no majority, the person with the fewest votes is eliminated and everyone who voted for that person has their second-choice votes count instead. The process continues until one candidate has the majority.
Alaska and Maine both have ranked-choice voting, as do Minneapolis and San Francisco. New York City approved it in 2019, and it was used in the 2021 election when Eric Adams was chosen after eight rounds of counting.
Rabb's bill was introduced in November 2025, and it has yet to move out of committee. If approved in its current form, that legislation says that any county, city, borough, township, school district or other municipality can implement ranked-choice voting in local elections, although they wouldn't be required to make the change.
Proponents of ranked-choice voting say it can reduce the need for runoff elections, which can be costly and often result in lower turnout. According to the Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, San Francisco adopted the practice to replace runoff elections, and Minneapolis enacted it to reduce the need for primary elections.
Critics, however, say that selecting so many candidates at one time can be confusing for voters and delays election results. In November, Alaska residents will vote on a ballot measure which asks whether the state should keep ranked-choice voting or return to the original model.
Mount Airy resident Rose Johnson expressed her support for the legislation during Thursday's meeting.
"When people rank candidates they don't feel forced to just go with one of the leading folks to avoid wasting their vote," Johnson said. "It gives people more choice, it makes them feel more confident that they can really express their own values at the polls."
