Boston City Council Advances Ranked Choice Voting Petition in 8-4 Vote

BOSTON -- May 14, 2025, Boston City Council voted 8-4 Wednesday to advance a ranked choice voting home rule petition to the state legislature, marking the most significant electoral reform debate in the chamber in years. The measure, led by Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and co-sponsored by Councilors Julia M. Mejia and Henry Santana, would allow Boston voters to rank up to four candidates in municipal elections and would go before voters in a future ballot question, with implementation no earlier than 2028 or 2029. Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata, chair of the Committee on Government Operations, guided the petition through a hearing and two working sessions, noting the amended legislation requires the elections commission to design easy-to-read ballots and conduct a multilingual voter education campaign. Opponents Councilor Edward M. Flynn and Councilor Erin J. Murphy argued the elections department remains too strained after the ballot-shortage failures of November 2024 to absorb additional complexity. The council also voted unanimously to designate the Old North Church at 193 Salem Street as an official Boston landmark, effective June 6, and unanimously codified the Department of Innovation and Technology into city law.