WHY IS THIS MAYOR and COUNCIL ELECTION DIFFERENT?

The 2022 election of Raleigh Mayor and City Council will be very different from previous elections. One of the main differences is a change from a Majority System to a Plurality System.

• In a Majority System, a candidate must receive more votes than all other candidates combined to win.

• In a Plurality System, a candidate only has to receive more votes than any other candidate to be elected. This means races where there are more than 2 candidates may result in the election of a candidate who has received only a minority of votes cast. So if there are 3 candidates, the winner could be determined by only 33.3% of votes cast.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

Raleigh City Council Elections were significantly changed by a decision made in secret by the current Mayor and City Council. There was no notice given to the public that major changes were being considered and no opportunity
for input from the public. These changes included:

• Moving the Mayor and Council Elections from October 2021 to November 2022. The additional year in office has allowed the Mayor and City Council to serve for an extra year without the public voting for them to have the extra time.
• Eliminating Run-off Elections due to changing the rules of the election to Plurality Voting, which does not require a majority to win.
• Holding all future Raleigh City Elections in November of even years.

It is important to note that while many other municipalities use a Plurality System, this decision was made in secret and has the potential to impact the outcomes of the popular vote in Raleigh.

Important 2022 Dates

• Early Voting – October 20 to November 5, 2022
  • Dates & Locations here: Wake County Early Voting Schedule
• Election Day –  November 8