BISMARCK, N.D. — In 2018, Fargo voters opted for a new local election system aimed at selecting candidates with wider support. This reform was seen as a way to ensure the leaders of North Dakota’s largest city were representative of their constituents.
However, the state Legislature is now considering a ban on this system. Republican Rep. Ben Koppelman, who proposed the bill, believes this method leads to the election of “vanilla” candidates, lacking the strong principles that he thinks Fargoans deserve. He suggests that candidates who play it safe and avoid strong positions become more appealing to a wider audience, but he argues that this undermines the election of bold leaders.
Fargo’s leadership disagrees with this assessment, sparking a debate about local governance and the type of leaders that residents want. Mayor Tim Mahoney stated, “We believe our system allows all candidates to run while empowering the voters to choose the representatives they feel best convey their views.”
The unique election approach, known as approval voting, allows voters to support as many candidates as they wish, with the candidate receiving the highest number of votes declared the winner. This method differs from ranked-choice voting, where voters rank candidates in order of preference.
Supporters of approval voting argue that it prevents situations in which winners assume office with only a small share of the vote. Prior to this system, a 2018 election saw city commissioner candidates win with just 18% and 16.5% of the vote, respectively. In contrast, recent commission races have resulted in winners receiving support from 46% and 44.5% of voters, clearly indicating a broader appeal.
While the approval voting system hasn’t drastically shifted the ideological makeup of Fargo’s nonpartisan City Commission, it has allowed leaders to take office with a stronger mandate. Jed Limke, who spearheaded the movement for this change, insists it is achieving its intended goals. “Why shouldn’t we experiment with our city’s elections? We’re not imposing our methods on other towns,” he noted, emphasizing local control.
Other cities, like St. Louis, have also embraced approval voting, with advocates championing its effectiveness in promoting accountability among leaders. In previous years, a bill aiming to ban Fargo’s system was passed by the state Legislature but vetoed by then-Gov. Doug Burgum, who viewed it as overreach and an infringement on local governance.
Now, a new bill has been approved by the state House and will soon go to the Senate for a vote, where it is expected to pass. Governor Kelly Armstrong has yet to express a position on the matter.
The proposed legislation would also prohibit ranked-choice voting, which, while currently not used in North Dakota, is implemented in states like Alaska and Maine. Some lawmakers’ discontent with Fargo’s election system could stem from a perception that Fargo has tried to assert its own governance, as demonstrated by its school officials’ recent defiance of state laws on various issues.
Despite some perceived liberal tendencies in Fargo, it remains relatively conservative by national standards—with a significant portion of its population supporting Donald Trump in previous elections. Yet, Fargo’s population is more diverse, and many of the state’s Democratic lawmakers hail from this city.
Overall, experts indicate that approval voting does not necessarily help liberal candidates but tends to favor those who appeal to a broader audience, regardless of ideology. According to Jason Marisam, a law professor, this approach reduces negative campaigning and promotes candidates who seek to unite voters rather than divide them.
Mayor Mahoney expressed regret about the potential ban, calling it “unfortunate,” as the current system has been beneficial for Fargo.
