The Salem City committee on Dec. 4 voted to keep a home‑rule petition proposing ranked‑choice voting in local elections in committee for additional drafting and review by the city’s legal department.

Councilor Varela, who introduced the home‑rule petition (Item 319, brought June 12, 2025), said the city’s legal department was looking into drafting a petition. Councilor Merkel moved to keep the petition in committee so the drafting could proceed; Chair Varela seconded. The chair recorded the vote as "4 hands plus my own," and the motion to retain the petition in committee carried.

Why it matters: A home‑rule petition is the mechanism by which the city could propose a charter amendment to adopt ranked‑choice voting; keeping the petition in committee directs legal staff to produce draft language and delays a formal vote on whether to advance the petition to the full council.

What happens next

Legal staff were asked to draft petition language and return to the committee for further consideration. No formal timetable beyond the committee direction was specified in the meeting transcript.

Quotes

"I was under discussion. I motion to keep this in committee," Councilor Merkel said when moving the motion. Chair Varela seconded the motion and recorded the committee vote.

The committee adjourned after the motion carried and other docket items were discharged.