civus
ResolutionADOPTEDCeremonial

Resolution 260546

Calling on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to enact legislation that would allow local jurisdictions to adopt ranked choice voting.

Introduced May 14, 2026CITY COUNCILOfficial record: City of Philadelphia via Legistar

Introduced by

From the floor

Passages in the official transcripts that cite this file number. Every quote links to its exact place in the record.

  1. Good morning. I'm Lynn Landes of Philly Republican Network. I'm opposed to Resolution 260546, which calls on the Pennsylvania legislators to allow ranked choice voting, as if our ballots aren't long and confusing enough already. Ranked choice voting is well-known as a backdoor method by which the most popular candidates can lose elections due to the complexity of the process. We should be simplifying our elections, n…

    Ms. Landes · Stated Meeting, May 28, 2026 · May 28, 2026 · official transcript, this passage

  2. Hello, Councilmembers. My name is Ethan. I'm a resident of Philly and a volunteer with March on Harrisburg, a pro-democracy group here in Pennsylvania. Councilmembers, by voting yes to Resolution 260546 for ranked choice voting, you have the important opportunity today to stand up for voters' rights to express their true preferences and decide between all their options for themselves at the ballot box, rather than lo…

    Mr. Blackwood · Stated Meeting, May 28, 2026 · May 28, 2026 · official transcript, this passage

Status timeline

  1. May 14, 2026Introduced and Ordered Placed On Next Week's Final Passage Calendar · CITY COUNCIL
  2. May 28, 2026ADOPTED · CITY COUNCIL

Official documents

Documents open on the City of Philadelphia’s legislative site.

Full text

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..Title Calling on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to enact legislation that would allow local jurisdictions to adopt ranked choice voting. ..Body WHEREAS, Ranked choice voting is an election method that empowers voters by giving them the option to rank candidates in order of preference; and WHEREAS, Ranked choice voting strengthens democracy by providing for broader and more inclusive political representation, encourages a greater range of candidates to run for office, and promotes more civil and issue-oriented campaigns; and WHEREAS, Ranked choice voting enhances voter choice, allows voters to cast more honest and sincere ballots by addressing the "spoiler" effect, and maximizes the power of each individual's Vote; and WHEREAS, Ranked choice voting is believed to increase voter engagement and participation through more competitive contests and increased voter contact; and WHEREAS, Ranked choice voting is used effectively in elections for local, state, and federal office throughout the United States, and has been used for over a century in elections for public office around the world; and WHEREAS, Surveys find that voters who participate in ranked choice voting elections overwhelmingly understand and prefer them to single-choice elections; and WHEREAS, Ranked choice voting has been repeatedly and uniformly upheld as constitutional under the United States Constitution and the "one person, one vote" doctrine by federal and state courts; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby calls on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to enact legislation that would allow local jurisdictions to adopt ranked choice voting. ..End