Ranked Choice Voting Poised for Major Test in Five States and D.C. on Election Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 2024

Contact: Sam D’Arcangelo, RepresentUs, sdarcangelo@represent.us

Ranked Choice Voting Poised for Major Test in Five States and D.C. on Election Day

Voters in multiple states will vote on adopting an electoral system that gives people more options as polling shows 58% of Americans don’t believe the major parties do a good job of representing them

 

Florence, MA - Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) will face its greatest test yet this Election Day when voters in Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, Idaho and Washington, DC head to the ballot box to decide whether or not their state’s adopt the system. If most or all of the measures pass, it will transform the way millions of Americans vote and generate unprecedented momentum for the movement to adopt RCV across the United States. Additionally, voters in Alaska will decide if RCV, which was approved for all statewide elections during a 2020 referendum, will remain in place. 

With a new Gallup poll finding 58% of Americans do not believe the Republican and Democratic parties do a good job of representing them and that a third party is needed, it’s no surprise that the movement to implement RCV in new cities and states continues to grow. RepresentUs is on the frontlines of this movement, and the nation’s largest grassroots anti-corruption and pro-democracy group will be spearheading efforts to contact at least 2 million voters in states where major electoral reforms like RCV are on the ballot.  

“Voters are sick of divisive elections that leave us choosing between the lesser of two evils,” says RepresentUs CEO Joshua Graham Lynn. “Ranked Choice Voting is a major improvement that gives voters more options, makes campaigns more civil, and ultimately elects leaders who are more representative. Americans should be paying attention to these ballot measures no matter what state they live in.”

RCV is a simple improvement to the way cities and states choose their leaders that offers voters a wider variety of choices and leads to the election of consensus candidates who more accurately represent their constituents. RCV is currently used for all elections in 50 different jurisdictions, including 45 cities, 3 counties, and the states of Maine and Alaska. Additionally, the Ranked Choice Voting Act—a bill that would require RCV for all congressional primary and general elections—was recently introduced in Congress.

RCV will be on the ballot in the following states:

  • Alaska will vote on Ballot Measure 2, which would repeal the RCV system voters adopted in 2020 (a nonpartisan primary with the top four candidates moving on to an RCV general election). 
  • Colorado will vote on Proposition 131, which would establish a unified, nonpartisan primary with the top four candidates moving on to an RCV general election. 
  • Idaho will vote on Question 1, which would establish a single, nonpartisan primary with the top four candidates moving on to a RCV general election.
  • Nevada will vote on Question 3, which would establish open primaries, with the top five candidates moving on to an RCV general election. 
  • Oregon will vote on Measure 117, which would implement RCV for elections for  state executive and federal offices. The measure would also authorize cities and other municipalities to adopt RCV for local elections.
  • Washington, DC will vote on Initiative 83, which would implement RCV for all D.C. elections and allow independent voters to participate in partisan primaries.

RCV allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference from favorite to least favorite. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the first-choice votes, then the candidate with the least amount of first choice votes is eliminated and everyone who selected them has their second choice vote counted instead. This process continues until one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote and is declared the winner. RCV gives Americans the opportunity to vote their conscience instead of settling on a “lesser evil” because they’re worried about electing someone they like even less.

RCV is one of many electoral reforms that will be on the ballot in states across the country this November. Other states that will vote on major changes to their electoral system include:

  • Arizona will vote on four measures. Proposition 140 would create a nonpartisan primary system that allows voters to participate in primaries regardless of their party affiliation. Proposition 136 would allow private citizens to bring up constitutional challenges to any proposed ballot measure, making it difficult for propositions to go to the ballot. Proposition 134 would require citizens to collect even more signatures to qualify a measure for the ballot, making it harder for grassroots activists to change laws directly via the ballot box. Proposition 133 would lock in Arizona’s semi-closed primary system, making it harder to reform the primary process.
  • Connecticut will vote on Constitutional Amendment Question 1, which would authorize the legislature to create policies and procedures allowing no-excuse absentee voting.
  • Florida will vote on Amendment 6, which would eliminate the state’s system for public financing of political campaigns, making it harder for candidates without access to money or special interest funding to run for office. 
  • Los Angeles will vote on Measures DD & LL, which will end gerrymandering by establishing Independent Redistricting Commissions for the City of Los Angeles and LA Unified School District.
  • Maine will vote on Question 1, which would limit contributions to SuperPACs by individuals, businesses and other PACs to $5,000 annually.
  • Missouri will vote on Amendment 7, which would require plurality elections for primaries, reaffirm that only U.S. citizens can vote, and prohibit the use of RCV in all but a few nonpartisan municipal elections.
  • Montana will vote on Measure 126, which would create a nonpartisan top-four primary system in which all candidates run in a single primary, with the top four vote-getters appearing on the general election ballot. 
  • North Dakota will vote on Measure 2, which would increase the signature requirement for measures to qualify for the ballot, require ballot measures to pass during both the primary and general election to go into effect, and establish additional rules that make it more difficult for citizens to change laws directly at the ballot box. 
  • Ohio will vote on Question 1, which would end gerrymandering by requiring Congressional and legislative districts to be drawn by an Independent Redistricting Commission. It would also prohibit former politicians, party officials, and lobbyists from sitting on said commission, prohibit the creation of voting districts that favor any political party or individual, and mandate an open and transparent process. 
  • South Dakota will vote on Amendment H, which would establish a top-two nonpartisan primary open to all candidates and voters regardless of party affiliation, with the top two vote-getters moving on to the general election.

RepresentUs is America’s leading nonpartisan organization fighting to protect and strengthen democracy. We unite unlikely allies from across the political spectrum who put country over party to pass pro-democracy laws, fight corruption, and defeat authoritarian threats. We have won more than 170 victories in cities and states across America since our founding 12 years ago. Each win brings us one step closer to our vision of making America the world’s strongest democracy.

RepresentUs is America’s leading anti-corruption organization working city-by-city, state-by-state to fix our broken political system.