Shawn Griffiths
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Critics warned that voters would be confused by ranked choice voting. Some lawmakers argued DC was moving too fast. Others pushed to delay implementation, suggesting the city’s election infrastructure was not ready.
But after District voters used ranked choice voting for the first time, voters appear to have a different view.
A new SurveyUSA poll conducted June 12-18 among 542 likely and actual DC voters found that 78% said their ranked choice voting ballot was simple to complete, compared to just 15% who said it was difficult.
Shawn Griffiths
But among voters who had already cast a ballot in the June 16 primary, the number rose to 87% who said it was easy. For context, 73% of voters approved Initiative 83 in 2024, which called for ranked choice voting and semi-open primaries.
The polling data suggests there isn’t any remorse over that decision. It is also further proof that voters can handle ranking their choices just fine.
“Ranked choice voting gives voters more voice and more power, and I am excited to see voters taking advantage of it,” said Lisa D.T. Rice, CEO of Grow Democracy DC and proposer of Initiative 83.
The city implemented the ranked choice voting half of Initiative 83 first. But after Tuesday, when the DC Council voted to fund and implement the open-primary component, the other half of the voter mandate is moving forward as well.
Polling suggests voters are ready for both.
That voter education work will continue – as we also implement the other half of Initiative 83, and let independents vote in DC’s primary elections,” Rice said.
Independent Voter Podcast
Voters Say Ranking Candidates Is Easy — And They Want to Do It
According to the SurveyUSA results, nearly three-quarters of respondents (74%) said they support being able to rank candidates on their ballots. Only 18% opposed it.
Voters also reported strong familiarity with the new system. Seventy-one percent (71%) said they understand ranked choice voting “extremely” or “very well,” while another 23% said they understand it somewhat well.
Only 5% said they do not understand it.
But DC voters were not merely able to fill out their ballots. Many used the new system as intended. Sixty-nine percent (69%) said they ranked two or more candidates in at least one race. Only 24% said they ranked only one candidate.
And their reasons show why ranked choice voting has become increasingly attractive in crowded elections:
- 59% said ranking allowed them to express their support for all the candidates who aligned with their values;
- 47% said it gave their vote more power;
- 47% said it helped make sure their vote counted; and
- 46% said it gave them more say in who wins.
Advocates say this is the heart of ranked choice voting. Instead of forcing voters to abandon their preferred candidate out of fear of “wasting” a vote, the ballot lets them express a fuller range of preferences.
For voters who ranked only one candidate, the most common explanation was not confusion. Fifty-six percent (56%) said they simply liked only one candidate. And that is their choice under a ranked choice system.
“Everywhere ranked choice voting is used, voters say they like and understand it – and that is the case in Washington, DC,” said Deb Otis, Senior Director of Research and Policy at FairVote, which first published the poll results.
“Ranked choice voting is off to a strong start in the nation’s capital. With RCV, voters get more choice and majority winners in crowded fields – a far cry from what we see in other states and DC’s own history, where candidates have routinely won with 20 or 30% of the vote.”
SurveyUSA also found that 68% of DC voters believe independents should be allowed to vote in primary elections. Only 16% disagreed. And now, they will get what they want thanks to the continued efforts of reformers who would not stop demanding the DC Council honor Initiative 83.
The council’s move to fund and implement the semi-open primary provision means DC is now closer to delivering the full reform package voters approved in 2024.