Buffalo’s election system “an outlier,” report finds

| Geoff Kelly | Investigative Post |

Open and semi-open primaries are often combined with ranked choice voting, whereby voters rank multiple candidates in order of preference, and ballots are counted in rounds until one candidate has more than 50 percent of the total vote.

Cities that combine open primaries and ranked choice voting achieved even higher voter participation, according to Reinvent Albany’s report: 79 percent turnout in San Francisco, 77 percent in Phoenix, and 66 percent in Portland, Oregon.

The proposal Buffalo voters approved last week gives the city until January 31 to choose nine people for the electoral reform task force. The panel must report its findings by March 1, 2028. Any reforms it recommends will be put to voters for referendum in that November’s general election.