Shawn Griffiths
BUFFALO, N.Y. - The deputy mayor of Buffalo went into a Charter Revision Commission meeting on Monday, June 8, with every intent to kill proposed reforms that would advance open primaries, ranked choice voting, and expanded ballot access.
However, he got pushback from commissioners.
According to Unite NY, Deputy Mayor Maria Whyte attempted to prevent resolutions tied to the reforms from moving forward. Commission members resisted the effort and voted to advance all three proposals for charter language drafting.
This does not mean Buffalo will adopt the reforms. It is even possible they may still not appear on the November ballot. However, this is a critical step toward the ballot so that voters can decide for themselves.
“This should not be a decision made by a small number of City Hall insiders,” said Anthony Thomas, executive director of Unite NY.
“Buffalo residents have asked for the opportunity to consider these reforms. The mayor's office should let the Charter Revision Commission advance these proposals and give Buffalo voters the chance to decide.”
The decision to keep the reform proposals alive—for now—comes not long after legal analysis from attorneys at Holtzman Vogel submitted their analysis of what ranked choice voting implementation would mean to the charter revision commission.
Their findings addressed two main questions: Does a ranked choice voting proposal trigger New York Voting Rights Act preclearance requirements? And, can Erie County feasibly make the transition to ranked choice elections?
The analysis came to two main conclusions:
- Erie County is capable of implementing ranked choice voting, just like New York City implemented it back in 2021.
- Preclearance would not be required for the charter revision commission to move forward with the proposal.
"This analysis demonstrates that these reforms are practical, workable, and worthy of public consideration," said Thomas. "The Charter Revision Commission should put them on the ballot and allow Buffalo voters to have their say."
There are 3 proposals that could go before voters.
First, open primaries, which would allow independent voters to participate in taxpayer-funded primary elections, rather than barring them because they are not a member of a private political party.
In heavily one-party cities, like Buffalo, primaries are often where the real contest happens. When large numbers of voters are locked out, they are excluded from the most consequential election.
Second is expanded ballot access, which would lower the barriers candidates face just to get on the ballot. And third is ranked choice voting, which would allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference and guarantee a majority winner in large candidate fields.
Supporters argue that it gives voters more expressive power, reduces the spoiler effect, and rewards candidates who can build broader support.
Together, the reforms represent a challenge to the status quo of local elections — not by guaranteeing any particular outcome or advantage, but by giving voters more room to participate and more options on the ballot.
The Charter Revision Commission has not made its final decision. The proposals still have to be drafted, reviewed, debated, and ultimately selected for the ballot before voters can decide their fate in November.
But Monday’s vote showed that the reform discussion is not over.
City Hall may want to slow it down. The commission, at least for now, is keeping it moving.