Hoboken Council Defies Mayor's Veto; Runoff Elections May Be Back

HOBOKEN, NJ — The choice about whether to hold “runoff elections” in Hoboken is once again in the hands of local voters.

During a Wednesday public meeting, the Hoboken City Council overturned Mayor Ravinder Bhalla’s veto of a referendum to bring back local “runoff elections” when a single candidate doesn’t win a majority of the vote. The city did away with runoff elections in 2012, according to the Hudson Reporter.

The resolution to overturn Bhalla’s veto passed 7-2, with Councilman Jim Doyle and Councilwoman Emily Jabbour – both members of the mayor’s 2017 campaign slate - voting against the measure.

Councilman Michael DeFusco praised the decision to place the ultimate choice about runoff elections in the hands of Hoboken’s voters. “The public question will appear on the ballot Nov. 6 and I look forward to continuing the spirited debate,” DeFusco said.

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The City Council originally passed the runoff election ordinance in December, which would place a referendum on next year's general election ballot allowing Hoboken voters to decide whether or not to return runoff elections to the city.

If the referendum passes, runoffs would be held starting in 2019 in local elections where no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, a situation that occurred in last November's mayor and council races.

• See related article: Hoboken Election Results 2017 (Mayor, Council, BOE)

Citing “massive vote buying” in the city, Mayor Bhalla vetoed the ordinance in January.

"The open secret known by every single member of the City Council and alluded to in multiple local news reports is that there is massive vote-buying that occurs in our elections,” Bhalla said. “Reducing voter turnout through runoffs in December will amplify the power of those vote-buying operations, making our elections less democratic.”

Bhalla put forth the alternative of instant runoffs, also known as “ranked choices,” instead of runoff elections.

• See related article: Hoboken Mayor On Runoffs: 'Massive Vote Buying' Happening In City

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