Irvine voters will have an important question at the ballot box in November: Do you want ranked-choice voting?
Late Tuesday, the City Council agreed to place a measure that would switch council and mayoral elections to the system in 2028, as long as the cost stays within certain parameters. Mayor Larry Agran and council members James Mai and Mike Carroll voted no.
If passed, Irvine would be one of two Orange County cities to have the system. It comes as a judge recently ordered Huntington Beach to use the method. Several California cities, like Redondo Beach in L.A. County, have implemented ranked-choice voting in recent years.
What Irvine’s vote does
Right now, Irvine uses the system voters recognize: You cast your vote for one candidate, and if they don’t reach a certain percentage, the race heads to a runoff where you vote again months later…