OAKLAND -- Oakland voters in November will determine whether to do away with midyear primaries and move to a system of ranking their picks for local elected offices, the City Council decided Tuesday.

The council, by a vote of 7-2, adopted a proposal to ask voters whether they want to switch to ranked-choice voting, also known as instant-runoff voting, which proponents say increases voter participation in elections, but which opponents say is too confusing and could lead to fewer people casting votes.

Several other cities, including San Francisco and Berkeley, have adopting ranked-choice voting.

Ranked-choice voting allows voters to pick their top three choices, in order of preference, for any race.

If no one gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the candidate with the fewest first-place votes is dropped from the list, the second-choice candidates on those ballots are moved to the top spot and the ballots are recounted. The process continues until someone has a majority of the vote.

Proponents say instant-runoff voting helps increase voter turnout, especially in minority communities whose members show up at the polls in greater numbers in fall elections. Advocates say it also reduces candidates' need to raise money, thus allowing them to focus on issues in a campaign.

Council members Larry Reid and Henry Chang opposed switching to ranked-choice voting. Critics say the ranked-choice process can confuse voters who speak limited English.

E-mail Christopher Heredia at [email protected].