Buffalo Charter Review Commission Analysis
Western New York Ranked Choice Voting Coalition & Unite NY
A new research report from Unite NY examines Buffalo's political system, finding that most city voters rarely have the opportunity to participate in competitive Common Council elections even as polling shows significant public support for reforms designed to increase voter choice and participation.
The report, developed following the 2026 Buffalo Charter Review Commission process, combines an analysis of more than a decade of Common Council elections with public-opinion research and a review of the Commission's deliberations.
Key Findings include:
64% of Buffalo Common Council general elections held since 2011 were uncontested.
67% of Buffalo voters support open primaries and reducing petition-signature requirements for independent candidates.
9% of Buffalo voters lived in districts with a contested Common Council general election in 2023. In the Delaware and South districts, voters did not experience a single contested Democratic primary or general election during the period analyzed.
