BY JAMES WERNICKE
Los Alamos

Most Americans are dissatisfied with the two-party system, but our election system makes it difficult for alternatives to compete. In Los Alamos, roughly 30% of voters are unaffiliated, and neither major party represents a majority.

Primaries often decide the outcome, but locally they are frequently dominated by one party and offer limited competition. While unaffiliated voters can now participate, minor-party voters remain excluded. When elections lack competition, they reduce accountability and voter choice. Why should we publicly fund primaries that exclude some voters, and often provide little meaningful choice?

One structural barrier is plurality voting, which discourages candidates from running due to the risk of splitting the vote. Cities like Santa Fe and Las Cruces have adopted ranked-choice voting (RCV), which allows more candidates to compete and gives voters more representative choices. RCV also saves local governments money by eliminating the need for run-off elections, which often result in fewer votes counting.

At last night’s League of Women Voters forum, most County Council candidates were soft when asked whether they would introduce an ordinance to adopt RCV in Los Alamos. Several said they would consider it or needed to learn more. One candidate cited a negative personal anecdote from New York, but New Yorkers widely support RCV. It can also increase voter turnout—especially among youth—and is already implemented in other parts of New Mexico.

Meanwhile, many residents recognize that one party represents only about 40% of voters while holding most Council seats. Proportional representation addresses this imbalance, and it’s the most popular form of democracy in the world today. Los Alamos County Code already recognizes the importance of political balance in governance, stating that no board or commission may have more than a simple majority from the same party. Why don’t we ensure similar balance and competition in our elections?

Finally, partisan ballots encourage voters to rely on party labels rather than evaluating candidates individually. Nonpartisan ballots could encourage more informed voting and broaden participation.

Strong multi-party competition leads to broader representation, greater accountability, and more consensus-driven policy.

To our Council candidates: will you commit to introducing specific, actionable election reforms—such as ranked-choice voting, proportional representation, or nonpartisan ballots—through local ordinances or advocacy in the state legislature, and on what timeline?