Shawn Griffiths
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo voters want a chance to vote on a series of election reform proposals, including open primaries, ranked choice voting, and better ballot access rules for independent candidates.
But they won’t get the opportunity. The Buffalo Charter Revision Commission (CRC) voted Wednesday against advancing proposals that would have put these proposals on the November ballot.
The CRC’s decision was not about implementation—nor would it have been an indication of support if they advanced the proposals. It would have simply let voters have a say.
Unite NY says it commissioned a poll in June that found 80% of Buffalo voters supported placing election reform on the ballot, whether they supported individual proposals or not. The group says the results also showed:
- 67% of respondents supported opening primary elections.
- 67% supported reducing the number of signatures independent candidates need to qualify for the ballot.
- 50% supported ranked choice voting.
The Western New York Ranked Choice Voting Coalition, chaired by Unite NY, also collected nearly 500 signatures urging the mayor, deputy mayor, the Buffalo Common Council, and the CRC to place election reform on the agenda for its July 8 meeting.
And still, the commission said no.
Unite NY Executive Director Anthony Thomas questioned how thoroughly the CRC evaluated the reforms, pointing to what he described as the chair’s acknowledgment that the ranked choice voting proposal had not been read.
“It is unclear the Charter Revision Commission understands what the proposals are or how they work,” Thomas said.
“Voters deserve the chance to decide whether these reforms belong on the ballot, and we are leaving all options on the table as we consider next steps.”
Supporters argue reform is particularly urgent because Buffalo’s general elections frequently offer voters little or no competition.
Since 2011, the city’s 9 Common Council districts have produced 36 opportunities for contested general elections. Only 13 featured more than one candidate, according to Unite NY. The remaining 23 races — nearly 64% — had no opposition.
The path to reform doesn’t necessarily end here. Unite NY said advocates are considering their next steps, though did not offer details.
In NYC, the group is looking to circumvent Mamdani’s CRC by submitting over 45,000 petition signatures directly to the city clerk for a nonpartisan open primary proposal. What comes of this remains to be seen.
When I asked the people at Unite NY if they would pursue the same thing in Buffalo, they said they were keeping all options on the table.