At a February meeting, the Cranston City Council’s Ordinance Committee voted 4-3 against a resolution that supported the elimination of the state’s master lever voting system. On Monday, the full council voted 6-3 in support of another master lever resolution, but this one encouraging the General Assembly to put the matter before the voters.

The resolution was co-sponsored by Council President John Lanni, Vice President Michael Farina and Councilman Mario Aceto, who maintain that the issue is too important to decide without voter input.

“On something that is so important to everybody, I don’t feel that elected officials should be deciding whether there is a master ballot or there is not a master ballot, whether it is at the city level or at the state level,” Aceto said. “We are a land of laws that are made to help voters and the voice of the people needs to be heard.”

Councilman Don Botts, who introduced the initial resolution, says the move is a stall tactic. He had requested that his resolution be brought before the full council, despite its negative recommendation at the committee level, and said that elected officials need to let their stand on the issue be known.

“I’m opposed to a referendum; this is the same tactic that opponents of same-sex marriage use. This is nothing more than a stall tactic, in my opinion,” he said.

Botts fears that the resolution appears, at a glance, to reflect the council’s support of an ongoing movement to ban the master lever when, in fact, it would push a decision until 2014 at the earliest.

“I can guarantee you this isn’t the same resolution I put forth,” he said.

Botts’ Republican colleague, Councilman Michael Favicchio, agrees, and said the initial resolution, which he co-sponsored, at the very least lets constituents know where they stand.

“I think, really, what we’re saying here, is we don’t want to take a stand on what our belief is on this,” Favicchio said.

Party lines were drawn in the discussion. Aceto indicated that Republicans introduced the process when it was first implemented, but Favicchio says that is irrelevant.

“It doesn’t matter which party started it ... the question is whether it should be a voter initiative or if the legislature should handle it,” he said. “It’s an archaic form of voting; only 16 states have that form of voting.”

Farina said at the committee level that eliminating the master lever could not be done without widespread voter education. He knows many voters, especially seniors, who have used the system for many years, and to eliminate it without education would disenfranchise them. This week, he added that putting the issue on a ballot would remove the perception that only Democrats support the master lever because it historically favors candidates on the left.

“It takes the partisan politics out of the fight,” he said.

Under the master lever, voters can indicate support for all candidates of a single party by connecting just one arrow at the top of the ballot. Former gubernatorial candidate and Moderate Party founder Ken Block has championed the movement, collecting more than 2,500 signatures online (www.masterlever.org) of Rhode Islanders who do not support the master lever.

Botts believes changing this system is under the purview of the General Assembly.

“We elect officials at the General Assembly to legislate; they saw fit in 2010 to pass a voter ID law. They’ve legislated on numerous election laws in the past,” he said.

Councilwoman Sarah Kales Lee said she supported Monday’s resolution as a compromise between the two sides.

“I think the resolution makes sense. In the spirit of compromise, it’s a good place to go,” she said.

The resolution passed, with only Botts, Favicchio and lone Democrat Steve Stycos voting against it.

In other council action, they voted 8-1 for a resolution that urges the General Assembly to vote against binding arbitration for teachers.

“It takes away our ability to control the budget if we allow arbitrators to make all the decisions in contracts. We’ll be forced to maybe raise taxes when we don’t have the ability to pay increased costs,” Favicchio said.

Only Councilman Aceto voted against the resolution.

The Cranston City Council will introduce the budget at a meeting on Monday, April 1, followed by a series of budget hearings that have yet to be scheduled. On Thursday, April 11, the council’s finance committee will review a series of ordinances involving pensions at 6:30 p.m.