This post was originally published on this site.
Before I get to the gist of this post, of the three Irvine City Council members who want to move Irvine to Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), only Melinda Liu would have likely prevailed in her election in 2024. If RCV was in place, Anthony Kuo would be on the city council now — three candidates, two Republicans and less than 50% for Betty Martinez-Franco.
In 2022, the last full city no-district council elections, Kuo would have been the beneficiary of John Park’s votes and would be on the council instead of Kathleen Treseder. As a first time candidate, there’s no way Treseder would have eclipsed Democratic votes that would have gone to Larry Agran.
That all said, I’m getting a lot of calls and emails — even from RCV fans — who believe a massive decision on how Irvine votes should be done by the voters and no the city council. Of course, Liu, Martinez-Franco and Treseder could all make this right by putting this on the ballot for 2026. All three are up for re-election, so its entirely possible the voters will make them pay for their decision to move it forward.
I have an official inquiry with the OC ROV on exact costs but was able to research the cost of implementing RCV should the Irvine measure move forward without the voice of voters. It’s going to cost us.
Assuming Irvine’s population is about 320,000 people with anywhere from 200,000–250,000 registered voters, one-time added costs will likely be in the $100,000–$250,000 range (though actual figures vary widely).
Key Data from Surveys and Examples
- NCSL survey of local jurisdictions using RCV: Average one-time switching cost of about $155,000 (high due to outliers up to $1M); median $17,000; adjusted average (no outliers) ~$40,000. Mean cost per voter: $0.94; median $0.43. Factors: jurisdiction size, software/equipment updates, voter education, labor, and consultants.
- Minneapolis had a population of 380k at time when they implemented RCV, or around $365,000 total in 2009. This included $123k one-time startup, heavy voter education of about $110 thousand.
- Multnomah County, OR (Portland area): RCV was a $354k one-time cost in Extra ballot paper can add tens to hundreds of thousands in larger races.
Main Added Cost Areas for Registrar of Voters
- Software/tabulation updates: Often the biggest tech expense (scanners, ballot design, RCV tabulation add-ons). Many modern systems need only patches. Not sure where the OC ROV stands on this.
- Voter education/outreach: Flyers, websites, videos, ads, mock elections — often 30%+ of initial costs.
- Ballot printing/paper: Longer ballots (ranks + instructions) increase costs, especially with many candidates.
- Labor/training: Staff time for design, testing, canvassing, and poll worker training. Hand-counting (if used) adds temporary staff/facility costs.
- Other: Legal review, consultants, or equipment if outdated.
Ongoing costs (per election): Usually low after the first cycle — mainly slightly higher printing and minor tabulation/education refreshers. Many places report “minor increases” or none.
The only way RCV can truly save money overall is by eliminating separate runoff elections (which can cost 50%+ of a primary/general). There doesn’t appear to be any data of how much a recount with RCV might cost.
The Orange County Registrar of Voters has not conducted an election using ranked choice voting. Therefore, I am unable at this time to answer most of your questions, including:
- I cannot provide you with an estimate of what it would cost the City of Irvine to conduct its elections using ranked choice voting.
- I cannot predict the impact the ranked choice voting model could have on how and the length of time it takes to process ballots, complete audits, or conduct recounts.
I can generally share with you regarding billing for the cost of elections:
- The City would be billed for its proportionate share on consolidated election costs and 100% of any unique costs attributable to the City’s election. If Irvine would be the only local charter jurisdiction to use the ranked choice voting model, the Registrar of Voters would bill the City for all unique costs related to ranked choice voting. The County has a Board of Supervisors-approved full-cost recovery policy for fee-based services.
- Similarly, State law requires any voter requesting a recount to pay for all Registrar of Voters’ costs that are incurred solely because of the recount. The requester determines the method of recount (hand vs. voting system) and can direct the order the ballots are recounted and request to review certain relevant documents before votes are counted. These decisions impact the cost of a recount. State law requires a recount to be started within seven business days of the submission of the written request for a recount. And State law requires the Registrar of Voters to provide a cost estimate for the first day of the recount at least one day prior to commencement of the recount and for the requester to pay for the first day before work begins. It is Registrar of Voters’ practice to only produce a cost estimate for a recount once a formal request is submitted, because the development of a cost estimate is work unique to the request for a recount that is billed to the requester if the recount proceeds. It is also our practice to estimate the cost of the first day as well as the cost for the full recount to ensure the requester is informed before starting the recount. State law provides that all deposits paid by the requester are refunded if the recount changes the winner or nominees of the election.
Regarding your question about the time needed to declare winners with the ranked choice voting model, I would like to clarify that the Registrar of Voters certifies election results and the City Council declares winners no later than their next regular meeting after the election is certified. State law currently prohibits the Registrar of Voters from certifying the results of a City election consolidated with a statewide general election before the 24th day after Election Day and requires the Registrar of Voters to certify the City’s election results no later than the 30th day after Election Day. Ranked choice voting does not allow those canvass completion dates to change.
Finally, I can share with you that the Hart Verity Voting System used by Orange County Registrar of Voters is not currently certified by the Secretary of State to conduct ranked choice voting elections. You may wish to reach out to the Humboldt County Registrar of Voters that has been working to implement ranked choice voting for City of Eureka elections since city voters approved it in 2020. In March 2026, the Humboldt County Registrar of Voters announced implementation had been postponed until at least 2028 due to the status of the Hart Verity Voting System.
Thank you.
Bob Page | Registrar of Voters | Orange County Registrar of Voters