Around New England

Vermont Eyeing Ranked-Choice Voting, But Response Tepid So Far

Matthew McDonald

A bill that would bring ranked-choice voting to most elections in Vermont has only six co-sponsors in the 150-member House of Representatives.

Ranked-choice voting takes into account voters' second and third choices in cases where no one wins an outright majority of votes. A typical way of doing it is for the bottom candidate to be eliminated in the second round and his voters' second-place choices to be redistributed as if they were actual votes for another candidate. The next-from-the-bottom candidate is then eliminated in likewise fashion and so on until one of the remaining candidates has a majority.

Around New England

Mayor Vetoes Plan To Let Store Owners Clear Homeless From Sidewalks in Front of Their Businesses

Matthew McDonald

The mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire has vetoed a proposed ordinance that would allow store owners to control the area of sidewalk in front of their store, effectively letting them kick out homeless people, after getting threatened by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The city council of New Hampshire's largest city approved the ordinance 12-0, with two councilors absent, on Tuesday, March 5, according to The Union Leader.

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