Fulop: Runoff System ‘Will Probably Be Viewed as a Mistake’

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop criticized the city’s runoff election process and advocated for adopting ranked-choice voting. His comments arrive nearly a decade after he led the successful effort to move municipal elections from May to November—an effort that drew legal challenges and accusations of political maneuvering at the time.

“Jersey City’s mayoral race is tightening + almost certainly headed to a December runoff,” Fulop posted on social media. “In hindsight, the runoff system will [probably] be viewed as a mistake. A non-partisan, ranked-choice election in November would be the best model.”

Under city election law, a runoff is triggered if no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote. The top two vote-getters—Councilmember James Solomon and former Governor Jim McGreevey—are headed to a December runoff.

Fulop’s remarks revive longstanding debate over how Jersey City handles local elections. In 2016, the Jersey City Civic Committee and a group of residents filed a lawsuit arguing that the referendum improperly conflated election laws and failed to clarify that runoff dates would shift to December.

Critics at the time, including attorney Bill Matsikoudis, warned that holding runoffs in December would lead to lower turnout and confuse voters by combining nonpartisan races with statewide partisan elections.

Fulop maintained that the shift would increase participation and reduce costs. Now, as he prepares to leave office after over a decade as mayor, he is publicly reassessing that decision.

Jersey City’s mayoral race is tightening + almost certainly headed to a December runoff. In hindsight, the runoff system will prob be viewed as a mistake. A non-partisan, ranked-choice election in November would be the best model. https://t.co/O3aw3YlX6I

— Steven Fulop (@StevenFulop) November 2, 2025