Irvine ranked choice voting proposal holds narrow lead in early results

A proposal to introduce ranked choice voting for Irvine City Council elections in 2028 held a narrow lead in preliminary results Wednesday, according to Voice of OC. The outcome remained undecided.

The proposal would replace the city’s plurality system for district council elections with a process that lets voters rank candidates. No Orange County city currently uses ranked choice voting, Voice of OC reported, and preliminary estimates suggest the transition could quadruple Irvine’s election costs.

Results released by the OC Registrar of Voters at 5 p.m. Wednesday showed about 51.5% support and 48.5% opposition, according to Voice of OC. The gap was roughly 2,000 votes.

Irvine currently elects district council members through plurality voting: The candidate with the most votes wins. Under the proposal, voters would instead list candidates by preference rather than choose only one.

Voice of OC described the proposed system as an instant runoff. Ranked votes would be counted until a candidate receives more than 50%, without requiring residents to cast another ballot. If approved, the change would take effect for council elections in 2028.

Preliminary estimates suggest the transition, including rollout and voter education, could make election costs four times as high, the publication reported. The proposal comes as Irvine faces a projected annual structural budget deficit of $37 million by July 1, 2028.

That deficit could reach $47 million by the end of the decade if spending does not slow, according to Voice of OC. The report placed the potential election costs against that broader budget outlook.

Elsewhere in Orange County, Huntington Beach may consider ranked choice voting in response to a judge’s order, Voice of OC reported. Irvine’s proposal, meanwhile, remained unresolved in the preliminary count.