Keller plans to veto charter amendment that would reduce vote requirements from 50%

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller is planning to veto a proposed charter amendment that would change the requirements to win a City Council or mayoral race — currently at least 50% of votes — to a plurality, or simple majority vote.

There are two reasons, Keller said. One, voters in 2013 petitioned to increase the vote threshold from 40% to 50%. Two, he said the change could make it difficult for incumbents to lose in a city with no term limits.

Dozens of public commenters spoke in opposition to the measure during Monday’s City Council meeting. Regardless, Keller said the ballot measure could become a “political sideshow.”

“The voters have already voted on this,” Keller said. “There’s no reason to make them do that again.”

Originally, the proposal would have lowered the threshold from 50% to 40%. But an amendment Monday night would have reduced the threshold to a simple majority. Whichever candidate had the highest percentage of votes would win. Runoffs would only occur in the event of a tie.

Keller said in races with several candidates, plurality would make it easy for candidates with more name recognition to win.

“This version helps incumbents in a way that, even though it would benefit me, it’s just wrong for Albuquerque, and I think wrong for elections,” Keller said. “It’s just too much bias towards incumbency.”

Proponents of the measure said it could decrease the number of runoff elections, which have low voter turnout and high costs.

Councilor Klarissa Peña, one of the sponsors for the charter amendment, said she still sees problems with low voter turnout, especially in historically disenfranchised communities.

“We’re in really difficult political times, and people feel like their voices aren’t being heard,” Peña said. “When we have such small voter turnouts, and even smaller the second time around, then something’s wrong.”

Regardless of a veto, she said something needs to be done — even if it’s not the charter amendment.

“I’m not sure plurality is digestible for people,” Peña said. “I just hope people recognize we need to do something about waking the sleeping giant.”

Keller said he did not plan to veto two other charter amendment proposals that passed the City Council on Monday night. One created a process to fill vacancies on a committee tasked with solving separation-of-powers disputes between the mayor and City Council. The other changed the removal process for the chief of police and the fire chief.

Currently, the charter does not allow the mayor to remove either position. The proposal would allow the mayor to terminate the chiefs. The City Council would also be able to remove either position with at least seven votes, after notifying the mayor and chief.

“We worked together, and we came up with a good piece of legislation to send to the voters that really allows what people want, which is in extreme cases, the council could get rid of a chief with a two-thirds vote, and so could the mayor,” Keller said.

Those two proposals will head to voters in November. The City Council can override mayoral vetoes with a two-thirds vote.

City Clerk Ethan Watson said it’s unlikely that charter amendment proposals would incur additional costs.