This week, Mayor Tim Keller vetoed City Council resolution R-24-47, a proposed City Charter Amendment ballot question that, if passed, would lower the threshold for electing the Mayor and City Council from the current mandatory majority system—50% plus 1—to a plurality. This change would mean that only one election would be held where the candidate with the most votes wins.
City council and mayoral elections in Albuquerque are already non-partisan and often feature many candidates. The proposal could result in winners securing office with only a small percentage of the vote, potentially as low as 20%. In contrast, most American elections, from Olympic trials to standard primary elections, do not follow a 'one race take all' format.
“As passed, this would drastically change the way we conduct City elections in Albuquerque,” said Mayor Keller. “While no election system is perfect, this charter amendment takes Albuquerque in the wrong direction, and our community was loud and clear that this is not the right move for our city.”
In his message to the City Council, Mayor Keller highlighted that voters decided on this issue in 2013 by changing the then 40% threshold to the current 50%. Prior to that change, Albuquerque had plurality elections; for instance, Mayor Baca was elected with just 28% of the vote in 1997. Over two decades, Albuquerque has moved definitively towards a majority threshold for victory. He also noted that public input on this issue was overwhelmingly opposed to this legislation, including an open letter to all Albuquerque leaders from Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver.
Read Mayor Keller’s full veto message.