Ranked Choice Voting in Palm Desert

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Preliminary Election Results

The Riverside County Registrar of Voters will release preliminary round by round results at approximately 8:30 p.m. for the Palm Desert City Council election. Additional results will be released as additional votes are received from in person, absentee, military, and overseas voters, which must be postmarked by Election Day and received within 7 days. Because there will be subsequent round by round results released in the coming days we caution the media, campaigns, and supporters from drawing any conclusions from these initial election night reports. Final results are determined by the ranked choice voting tabulation process when all ballots have been received.

Starting with the General Municipal Election on November 8, 2022, Palm Desert voters will use Ranked Choice Voting to elect members to the City Council. Ranked Choice Voting is an innovative voting method in which voters will rank candidates in order of choice. This year, Palm Desert voters in District 2 will elect two members of the City Council using Ranked Choice Voting. To learn more about ranked choice voting in Palm Desert, please watch our video below.

Explaining Ranked Choice Voting

In the following video, Palm Desert City Clerk, Anthony Mejia, explains the process of voting using a ranked choice ballot and how results are tabulated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the City of Palm Desert have City Council Voting Districts?

Currently, in Palm Desert, there are two geographical City Council districts. District 1 comprises approximately 20% of the City's population and elects one (1) member to the City Council. District 2 contains approximately 80% of the City's population and elects four (4) members to the City Council. Click here to locate your voting district.

How does Ranked Choice Voting work for District 1?

In District 1, voters will elect one (1) member to the City Council by ranking their preferred candidates. To win, a candidate must earn more than 50% of the votes cast. If no candidate has more than 50% in the first round, the candidate with the fewest votes would be eliminated and voters who picked that candidate as their 1st choice would have their votes go to their next choice. The process will continue until one candidate has more than 50% of the votes.

How does Ranked Choice Voting work for District 2?

In District 2, voters will elect two (2) members of the City Council by ranking their preferred candidates. To win, a candidate must earn more than 33% of the votes cast. If no candidate has enough votes to win in the first round, then the candidate with the fewest votes would be eliminated and voters who picked that candidate as a 1st choice would have their votes go to their next choice. The process will continue until two candidates earn more than 33%.

If a candidate earns more votes than they need to be elected, but not all seats have been filled, any extra votes count proportionally toward voters’ next choices. For example, if a candidate receives 10% more 1st choice votes than what was needed to win, then each voter who ranked that candidate as a 1st choice would have 10% of their vote count toward their next choice.

When are City Councilmembers up for election?

In District 1, the Councilmember is elected every four years. The current incumbent was elected in November 2020 for a term of four years. The next election for District 1 will occur on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.

In District 2, four Councilmembers are elected in staggered terms with two Councilmembers elected every two years. The next election for two Councilmembers will occur on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.

How do I fill out my ballot using Ranked Choice Voting?

When filling out your ballot, you will rank candidates in order of preference. Your 1st choice is your favorite candidate, your 2nd, 3rd, etc. choices are back ups in case your favorite candidate doesn’t have enough support to win. Here is an example of how a completed Ranked Choice Ballot will look:

ranked choice voting in palm desert

What happens if I only rank one candidate?

You can rank as many or as few candidates as you’d like. If you only rank a 1st choice candidate, your vote will count. However, if your 1st choice candidate is eliminated, you won’t have any back up choices so your ballot would be exhausted.

Does ranking more than one candidate hurt my 1st choice?

No! Your 2nd, 3rd, etc. rankings will only come into play if your 1st choice candidate is eliminated. Filling out your back up choices will not hurt your 1st choice but ensures that your vote still counts if your 1st choice candidate is eliminated.

Why did our elections change to use Ranked Choice Voting?

In 2019, the Palm Desert City Council settled a California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) challenge related to the method of electing members to the City Council. As part of the settlement, the City Council agreed to transition to a two district electoral system using Ranked Choice Voting, contingent upon the County of Riverside Register of Voters confirming their ability to tabulate ranked choice voting ballots. Due to other changes in election law, the Registrar of Voters upgraded their voting equipment and now stands capable to tabulate Ranked Choice Voting ballots.

Where else is Ranked Choice Voting used?

Ranked Choice Voting is used statewide in Maine and Alaska. Nationwide ranked choice voting is used in more than 50 cities. In California, the cities of Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Leandro have already implemented Ranked Choice Voting, and Albany, Eureka, and Palm Desert are set to use Ranked Choice Voting in their next election.

Are Ranked Choice Voting ballots tabulated by hand or machine?
Ranked choice data is processed using state-certified vote-counting equipment and software, which determines which candidates to eliminate and uses ranking data from the ballots cast for the eliminated candidate to determine which candidate those ballots will transfer to.

What was the Palm Desert voter turnout in past elections?

November 2020 (Presidential):
Registered: 32,123
Votes Cast: 28,563
Turnout: 88.92%

November 2018 (Gubernatorial):
Registered: 27,274
Votes Cast: 20,290
Turnout: 74.39%

November 2016 (Presidential):
Registered: 26,666
Votes Cast: 22,111
Turnout: 82.92%

November 2014 (Gubernatorial):
Registered: 23,751
Votes Cast: 13,551
Turnout: 57.05%


Additional Resources:

Preliminary Election Results

The Riverside County Registrar of Voters will release preliminary round by round results at approximately 8:30 p.m. for the Palm Desert City Council election. Additional results will be released as additional votes are received from in person, absentee, military, and overseas voters, which must be postmarked by Election Day and received within 7 days. Because there will be subsequent round by round results released in the coming days we caution the media, campaigns, and supporters from drawing any conclusions from these initial election night reports. Final results are determined by the ranked choice voting tabulation process when all ballots have been received.

Starting with the General Municipal Election on November 8, 2022, Palm Desert voters will use Ranked Choice Voting to elect members to the City Council. Ranked Choice Voting is an innovative voting method in which voters will rank candidates in order of choice. This year, Palm Desert voters in District 2 will elect two members of the City Council using Ranked Choice Voting. To learn more about ranked choice voting in Palm Desert, please watch our video below.

Explaining Ranked Choice Voting

In the following video, Palm Desert City Clerk, Anthony Mejia, explains the process of voting using a ranked choice ballot and how results are tabulated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the City of Palm Desert have City Council Voting Districts?

Currently, in Palm Desert, there are two geographical City Council districts. District 1 comprises approximately 20% of the City's population and elects one (1) member to the City Council. District 2 contains approximately 80% of the City's population and elects four (4) members to the City Council. Click here to locate your voting district.

How does Ranked Choice Voting work for District 1?

In District 1, voters will elect one (1) member to the City Council by ranking their preferred candidates. To win, a candidate must earn more than 50% of the votes cast. If no candidate has more than 50% in the first round, the candidate with the fewest votes would be eliminated and voters who picked that candidate as their 1st choice would have their votes go to their next choice. The process will continue until one candidate has more than 50% of the votes.

How does Ranked Choice Voting work for District 2?

In District 2, voters will elect two (2) members of the City Council by ranking their preferred candidates. To win, a candidate must earn more than 33% of the votes cast. If no candidate has enough votes to win in the first round, then the candidate with the fewest votes would be eliminated and voters who picked that candidate as a 1st choice would have their votes go to their next choice. The process will continue until two candidates earn more than 33%.

If a candidate earns more votes than they need to be elected, but not all seats have been filled, any extra votes count proportionally toward voters’ next choices. For example, if a candidate receives 10% more 1st choice votes than what was needed to win, then each voter who ranked that candidate as a 1st choice would have 10% of their vote count toward their next choice.

When are City Councilmembers up for election?

In District 1, the Councilmember is elected every four years. The current incumbent was elected in November 2020 for a term of four years. The next election for District 1 will occur on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.

In District 2, four Councilmembers are elected in staggered terms with two Councilmembers elected every two years. The next election for two Councilmembers will occur on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.

How do I fill out my ballot using Ranked Choice Voting?

When filling out your ballot, you will rank candidates in order of preference. Your 1st choice is your favorite candidate, your 2nd, 3rd, etc. choices are back ups in case your favorite candidate doesn’t have enough support to win. Here is an example of how a completed Ranked Choice Ballot will look:

ranked choice voting in palm desert

What happens if I only rank one candidate?

You can rank as many or as few candidates as you’d like. If you only rank a 1st choice candidate, your vote will count. However, if your 1st choice candidate is eliminated, you won’t have any back up choices so your ballot would be exhausted.

Does ranking more than one candidate hurt my 1st choice?

No! Your 2nd, 3rd, etc. rankings will only come into play if your 1st choice candidate is eliminated. Filling out your back up choices will not hurt your 1st choice but ensures that your vote still counts if your 1st choice candidate is eliminated.

Why did our elections change to use Ranked Choice Voting?

In 2019, the Palm Desert City Council settled a California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) challenge related to the method of electing members to the City Council. As part of the settlement, the City Council agreed to transition to a two district electoral system using Ranked Choice Voting, contingent upon the County of Riverside Register of Voters confirming their ability to tabulate ranked choice voting ballots. Due to other changes in election law, the Registrar of Voters upgraded their voting equipment and now stands capable to tabulate Ranked Choice Voting ballots.

Where else is Ranked Choice Voting used?

Ranked Choice Voting is used statewide in Maine and Alaska. Nationwide ranked choice voting is used in more than 50 cities. In California, the cities of Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Leandro have already implemented Ranked Choice Voting, and Albany, Eureka, and Palm Desert are set to use Ranked Choice Voting in their next election.

Are Ranked Choice Voting ballots tabulated by hand or machine?
Ranked choice data is processed using state-certified vote-counting equipment and software, which determines which candidates to eliminate and uses ranking data from the ballots cast for the eliminated candidate to determine which candidate those ballots will transfer to.

What was the Palm Desert voter turnout in past elections?

November 2020 (Presidential):
Registered: 32,123
Votes Cast: 28,563
Turnout: 88.92%

November 2018 (Gubernatorial):
Registered: 27,274
Votes Cast: 20,290
Turnout: 74.39%

November 2016 (Presidential):
Registered: 26,666
Votes Cast: 22,111
Turnout: 82.92%

November 2014 (Gubernatorial):
Registered: 23,751
Votes Cast: 13,551
Turnout: 57.05%


Additional Resources:

Submit Questions About Ranked Choice Voting

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