Los Angeles County
Background
In Los Angeles County, there are charter cities that have the autonomy to determine their local electoral rules and general law cities that must follow the general laws of the state. There are cities in LA that use a traditional primary or runoff election system that requires candidates to achieve a majority of votes. If no candidate gets a majority in the first round, then the top two candidates go to a runoff election. There are six charter cities in LA that have this system (Compton, Inglewood, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Pasadena, and Redondo Beach).
There are also cities in LA that use a “winner take all” system, which means a candidate wins in one round of an election regardless of whether or not they have achieved a majority of votes. This is also known as a plurality winner.
A Better System for Los Angeles
There is a better way. Ranked choice voting (RCV) gives voters more choice and a stronger voice in elections because voters have the power to rank their candidates in order of preference. Benefits include:
- Promotes fairness by ensuring winners earn a majority of the votes and are more broadly representative.
- Fosters civil elections by incentivizing inclusive campaigns and coalition building.
- Minimizes strategic voting, vote splitting, and the spoiler effect because you always get to vote your favorite first without fear you may divide the community and help elect the candidate you like the least.
- Reduces costs by eliminating runoff elections, which saves administrative and campaign finance needs.
- Supports greater voter participation because every vote counts in a single high turnout, more representative election eliminates the need for costly, lower turnout, and unrepresentative runoff elections.
How it Works
Ranked choice voting allows voters to rank as many candidates as they want in order of choice--first, second, third, and so on. All first choices are counted, and if a candidate has a majority, then they win, just like any other election. However if nobody has a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and those voters have their ballot instantly count for their next choice. This process continues until a candidate receives a majority of votes and is declared the winner.
What You Can Do
To learn more about ranked choice voting in Los Angeles and getting involved, join our google group LA4RCV and get in touch. We encourage you to contact your elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels to express your support of ranked choice voting reform. And, of course, the best way to reform a broken system is to educate others about the solutions. If you are interested in hosting an event in Los Angeles to educate others about RCV, FairVote CA would be happy to provide materials and assist in the planning. Reach out us via email at [email protected]
Charter Cities in Los Angeles
Charter Cities |
Voting Geography |
Council Size |
Voting Method |
Election Date |
Alhambra |
From Districts |
5 |
Plurality |
Concurrent with state general |
Arcadia |
By District |
5 |
Plurality |
Nonconcurrent even years |
Bell |
At-Large |
5 |
Plurality |
Nonconcurrent odd years |
Burbank |
At-Large |
5 |
Runoff |
Nonconcurrent odd years |
Cerritos |
At-Large |
5 |
Plurality |
Nonconcurrent odd years |
Compton |
By District |
5 |
Runoff |
Nonconcurrent odd years |
Culver City |
By District |
5 |
Plurality |
Nonconcurrent even years |
Downey |
By-District & AL |
5 |
Plurality |
Concurrent with state general |
Glendale |
At-Large |
5 |
Plurality |
Nonconcurrent odd years |
Industry |
At-Large |
5 |
Plurality |
Nonconcurrent odd years |
Inglewood |
By District |
5 |
Runoff |
Nonconcurrent odd years |
Irwindale |
At-Large |
5 |
Plurality |
Nonconcurrent odd years |
Lancaster |
At-Large |
5 |
Plurality |
Nonconcurrent even years |
Long Beach |
By District |
10 |
Runoff |
Nonconcurrent even years |
Los Angeles |
By District |
15 |
Runoff |
Moving to nonconcurrent even years |
Palmdale |
By District |
5 |
Plurality |
Concurrent with state general |
Pasadena |
By District |
8 |
Runoff |
Nonconcurrent odd years |
Pomona |
By District |
7 |
Plurality |
Concurrent with state general |
Redondo Beach |
By District |
6 |
Runoff |
Nonconcurrent odd years (looking to change) |
Santa Monica |
At-Large |
7 |
Plurality |
Concurrent with state general (may change due to CVRA lawsuit) |
Signal Hill |
At-Large |
5 |
Plurality |
Nonconcurrent odd years |
Temple City |
At-Large |
5 |
Plurality |
Nonconcurrent odd years |
Torrance |
At-Large |
7 |
Plurality |
Concurrent with state primary |
Vernon |
At-Large |
5 |
Plurality |
Nonconcurrent elections held each year |
Whittier |
By District |
5 |
Plurality |
Nonconcurrent even years |
Resources
Ranked Choice Voting in Los Angeles County - Policy Paper
Introduction to Ranked Choice Voting
RCV - Where It's Used, How It Works
Improving Local Elections with RCV
Ensuring Majority Rule Without Runoff Elections
RCV and Underrepresented Communities
News