'Bullet' voting could hit council races

<p>While slate advertising for like-minded city council candidates is all the rage at the moment, there's another theory called "bullet voting" that advocates say ensures your top choices get into office.</p><p>Proponents of voting by "bullet" say casting a ballot for only your top choice means everybody's second choice won't skate in and possibly knock off your pick. </p><p>Bullet voting comes into play in multiple candidate fields, including council elections in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Windsor, Healdsburg and Sebastopol where candidates in the philosophical center stand a good chance of getting elected by virtue of being popular second choices.</p><p>Here's how it could work in Sebastopol, where savvy experts are chatting up bullet voting as the only way to make sure their candidates get elected to the two open city council seats:</p><p>Jen Thille is viewed as the candidate most in favor of the city's Northeast Area Specific Plan; Guy Wilson as the most opposed and Kathleen Shaffer as somewhere in between. (A fourth candidate, Colleen Fernald, has demonstrated little evidence of financing, yard signs and literature, so she's not been a factor in this calculation.)</p><p>If voters inclined toward the northeast plan use both their votes, then Thille and Shaffer are their likely choices. Those opposed to the northeast plan would pick Wilson and Shaffer. Thus, Shaffer seems likely to benefit when voters exercise their right to make choices on the two open seats.</p><p>Which leaves Wilson and Thille fighting for second place - unless voters opt to use only one vote for their top choice.</p><p>Watch for literature prompting single-candidate, bullet-style voting coming to a city near you.</p>