Category: new voting methods
WaPo Says Ranked Choice Voting 'Deserves to Pass,' Endorses Initiative 83
The Washington Post Editorial Board has announced its support for ranked choice voting (which will be on the ballot in 4 states and the District of Columbia), encouraging DC residents in particular to support Initiative 83.
07 October, 2024
AZ Supreme Court Finally Ends Legal Drama over Prop 140, Says Votes Will Count
Early voting is set to kick off in Arizona this week, and the state Supreme Court has put to bed a legal battle over Prop 140 that has dragged on well past the printing of ballots. The high court ruled that votes for Prop 140 will count.
06 October, 2024
Idaho Lawmakers Threaten to Repeal Prop 1 If Voters Pass It
Idaho Republican lawmakers have indicated that because they don't like election reforms in Proposition 1, they will consider repealing or amending the proposal if voters approve it in November.
02 October, 2024
Bloomington Activists Fight Effort to Repeal New Ranked Choice Voting System
Bloomington is 1 of 5 cities in Minnesota that uses ranked choice voting for its city elections. However, this could change if opponents to reform have their way in November.
30 September, 2024
Question 3: Will Nevada Once Again Vote for More Choice in Elections?
In 2022, a majority of Nevada voters said 'Yes' to a ballot measure that would open up primaries to all voters and candidates and implement ranked choice voting in the general election. The question is: Will they do it again in 2024?
29 September, 2024
Proposition 1: 300,000 Independent Voters Can Pass Historic Election Reform in Idaho
Nearly 300,000 independent voters in Idaho have an opportunity to pass a ballot measure that would guarantee them equal access to taxpayer-funded primary elections without having to affiliate with one of the two major political parties.
28 September, 2024
Initiative 83: Independents Could Make History with DC Election Reform
Independent voters in Washington DC have an opportunity this November to gain access to the city's most critical elections, the primaries, while also implementing ranked choice voting for all District elections with Initiative 83.
26 September, 2024
FairVote Report: 70 Statewide, Congressional 2024 Primaries Won with Less Than 50% of Vote
The nonpartisan voting reform group FairVote released a new report Monday that shows that 70 major party statewide and congressional candidates in the 2024 primary cycle advanced to the general election with less than 50% of the vote.
23 September, 2024
Colorado Voters Appear Ready to Adopt More Choice Elections in November
A poll commissioned by Colorado Voters First shows that a clear majority (56%) of likely voters in Colorado will or probably will support Proposition 131, a measure that would implement a nonpartisan Top 4 primary with ranked choice voting in the general election.
23 September, 2024
Lawmakers Introduce Bill That Requires Ranked Choice Voting for All Congressional Elections
On Thursday, September 12, US Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Don Beyer of Virginia re-introduced the Ranked Choice Voting Act, which if enacted into law would require ranked choice voting for congressional elections.
13 September, 2024
Jasper County Clerk Misleads Missouri Voters on Ranked Choice Voting
Proposition 7 in Missouri will be on the November 5 ballot. If passed, it would not only make noncitizen voting illegal, which is already the law, but it would ban the use of ranked choice voting.
10 September, 2024
Charlottesville Officially Becomes Second Virginia City to Adopt Ranked Choice Voting
In Virginia, the Charlottesville City Council on Tuesday voted to approve the use of ranked choice voting (RCV) in the June 2025 Council primaries.
04 September, 2024
The Independent Guide to 6 States (Plus DC) That Could Pass Fairer Elections in 2024
Six states plus the District of Columbia will have measures on their November 5 ballots that, if passed, will reform the way public officials are elected in a way that offers more choice to all voters, regardless of political affiliation.
03 September, 2024
Not Sure About Ranked Choice Voting? League of Women Voters Explains Its Appeal
The voting reform with the most momentum behind it right now is ranked choice voting (RCV) -- which is increasingly being used in jurisdictions across the US.
20 August, 2024
Charlottesville Could Become Second City in Virginia to Adopt Ranked Choice Voting
The Charlottesville City Council will consider a draft ordinance on Monday, August 19, that if approved would authorize the city's political parties to use ranked choice voting (RCV) in council primaries.
16 August, 2024
DC Elections Board Certifies Open Primaries, Ranked Choice Voting Initiative for Ballot
The DC Board of Elections has certified Initiative 83 for the November ballot, which would open primary elections to independent voters and requires ranked choice voting to be used in all District elections.
02 August, 2024
Ranked Choice Voting Will Determine Who Wins Maine in November
Maine law requires the use of ranked choice voting in presidential elections if there are more than two candidates on the ballot -- something that is close to happening in 2024.
30 July, 2024
Report: More States Banned Ranked Choice Voting in 2024 Than Any Other Year
Ballotpedia released a report on the increased efforts in various states across the US to ban ranked choice voting, a popular nonpartisan reform that continues to gain momentum.
17 July, 2024
Richmond, Calif. Will Vote on Ranked Choice Voting in November
The Richmond City Council unanimously approved a ballot measure for November in a 5-0 vote that authorizes the use of ranked choice voting (RCV) for mayor and city council elections.
10 July, 2024
Gov. Lamont: Growing Consensus of Conn. Voters Favor Ranked Choice Voting
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont formed a task force this month to come up with a comprehensive legislative proposal by the end of the year that would enable state municipalities and parties to use ranked choice voting (RCV).
18 June, 2024
Yang Speaks With FairVote's CEO About the Future of Ranked Choice Voting
It goes without saying that most voters are dissatisfied with the state of US politics. Hyper-polarization and division are at their worst levels in modern history and nothing is getting done to actually help the American people.
10 June, 2024
Santa Clara Could Be First CA County to Adopt Ranked Choice Voting
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors may consider implementing ranked choice voting (RCV) for county elections in August. If it moves forward with the change, Santa Clara would be the 9th jurisdiction to approve its use – and would be the first to approve it for county elections.
05 June, 2024
Amendments Snuck Into Co. Elections Bill to Thwart the Will of Voters
A bill is currently on Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ desk that if signed into law would place barriers on the will of the people being carried out should they approve nonpartisan primaries and a ranked voting method in November.
03 June, 2024
Adding Ranked Choice Voting to Presidential Elections Could Happen by 2028
Imagine it’s election night 2024. A few close swing states will decide the presidency – and test the health of our democracy. In that scenario, we can be certain of two facts: Neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump will win a majority of the vote, and votes for independent and third-party candidates will dwarf the final margin.
13 May, 2024
FairVote's David Daley Responds to RFK Jr's 'No Spoiler Pledge': There's A Better Way
David Daley, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan better elections group FairVote, released a statement Wednesday on Robert F Kennedy Jr's "no spoiler pledge," calling it "weird" and "unproven."
02 May, 2024
'Final Four' Primary Initiative in Idaho Set for Ballot Approval
An initiative that would ensure equal voting rights for 270,000 independent voters in Idaho is all but certain to qualify for the November ballot. The Idahoans for Open Primaries coalition exceeded 90,000 signatures for its "Final Four" elections initiative days before the May 1 deadline.
30 April, 2024
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson Declares His Support for Ranked Choice Voting
In a recent episode of The Purple Principle, a podcast that examines democracy and polarization from a nonpartisan lens, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said that while he was skeptical of ranked choice voting at first, he now sees it as a meaningful solution to elect candidates with the broadest appeal.
19 April, 2024
Top Four Nonpartisan Primary Initiative in Idaho Surpasses 84,000 Signatures
An initiative that would open the taxpayer-funded electoral process in Idaho to all voters has more than 84,000 signatures, according to the group spearheading the initiative, Idahoans for Open Primaries.
17 April, 2024
The Irony of Gov. Glenn Youngkin Vetoing a Ranked Choice Voting Bill
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has said no to a bill that would clarify how ranked choice voting (RCV) is supposed to work in local elections -- which is odd considering the only reason Youngkin is governor is because of a RCV nomination process at the 2021 Virginia GOP convention.
12 April, 2024
The Missouri Resolution Designed to Sucker Voters into Banning Ranked Choice Voting
There is a resolution in the Missouri Legislature that if approved by voters would ban the use of ranked choice voting (RCV). However, RCV isn't the sole subject. There is another provision meant to trick voters into supporting it.
05 April, 2024
DC Judge Tosses Lawsuit Against Open Primaries, Ranked Choice Voting Ballot Measure
The lawsuit was filed by the DC Democratic Party in August not long after the DC Board of Elections unanimously approved the reform initiative, now known as Initiative 83, to appear on the 2024 ballot.
31 March, 2024
Smells Like Independent Spirit: Nirvana's Krist Novoselic and the Fight for Better Elections
Former presidential candidate and co-founder of the Forward Party Andrew Yang sat down with Nirvana co-founder Krist Novoselic, who went from changing the status quo in music to bringing that independent spirit to the political arena and the fight for better elections.
18 March, 2024
17% More Votes Count Under Ranked Choice Voting, Study Finds
A new study analyzing all single-winner ranked choice voting (RCV) elections since 2004 reveals a significant increase in meaningful votes and representation in elections under RCV.
12 March, 2024
Two Key TX House Races Head to Expensive and Unnecessary Runoff Elections
Two US House primaries in Texas are headed for runoffs in May. Voters who are already exhausted with the political process will be asked to go to the polls in elections that historically draw in half of the March primary's turnout -- which was abysmally low in 2024.
07 March, 2024
New Report: Ranked Choice Voting Empowers Candidates and Voters of Color
A new report by FairVote sheds light on the positive impacts of ranked choice voting (RCV) on candidates and voters of color. The comprehensive study analyzed 448 RCV elections over two decades, revealing key findings that highlight the benefits of this voting system.
17 January, 2024
Arlington, VA Board Unanimously Votes to Continue Ranked Choice Voting in Primaries
On December 19, the Arlington County Board unanimously voted to use ranked choice voting for all future county board primaries. The decision comes after a survey found that 70% of voters rated their experience with RCV as "positive," "fair," or "exceptional."
20 December, 2023
It's Official: Maine Makes History Again with Ranked Choice Voting
Maine is now officially the first state to adopt ranked choice voting for presidential elections.
06 September, 2019
Almost Zero Competition in Our Political Parties, But New Bill Could Change That
Competition is the American way. In business, you hear the following saying: “If we don’t take care of the customer, somebody else will.”
11 September, 2017
Groundbreaking Poll Shows One Primary Rival Beats Biden in Head-to-Head Contest
In a first-of-its-kind poll, FairVote partnered with YouGov to showcase the benefits of ranked choice voting to determine the true preferences of Democratic voters in a crowded 2020 field.
12 September, 2019
Ranked Choice Voting Is Under Attack
Ranked choice voting, an alternative ballot method, has been under attack by the press. Unlike the traditional “pick one” ballot used in most U.S. elections, ranked choice ballots allow voters to rank the candidates in order of preference.
21 October, 2019
In Maine: Partisan Hypocrisy Protects Minority Rule in Governor's Race
In November, Mainers will vote for governor. Recent poll results show four candidates splitting the vote. Talk of “spoilers” is rearing its ugly head, again.
21 August, 2018
New Ranked Choice Voting Act Introduced in Congress
US Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and a group of House colleagues have introduced a bill -- the Ranked Choice Voting Act (HR 4464) -- that would require states to adopt ranked choice voting for primary and general elections for Congress beginning in 2022.
25 September, 2019
NEW POLL: 72% of St. Louis Voters Support Approval Voting Initiative
The Center for Election Science conducted a poll in St. Louis, where voters are tired of the status quo in elections.
01 November, 2019
Nation's Largest Newspaper Endorses Ranked Choice Voting
The New York Times has officially endorsed the use of ranked choice voting in the nation's largest city. NYC voters are set to vote on ranked choice voting in November. If passed, RCV will be used in a city of 8 million people starting in 2021.
16 October, 2019
New York Voters Overwhelmingly Pass Ranked Choice Voting
Voters overwhelmingly approved Question 1 on Tuesday, November 5, with 72% of the vote. Question 1 implements ranked choice voting for city elections starting in 2021.
06 November, 2019
Ranked Choice Voting For New York City? Voters are Set to Decide
5 million New Yorkers are set to vote on the measure, which if passed, voters will be able to rank up to 5 candidates in primary and special elections for Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough President, and City Council beginning in January 2021.
04 November, 2019
Top 2 to Top 5? New Ranked Choice Voting Option on the Table
Mainstream business experts in America are waking up to the failure of our country’s political system.
20 March, 2018
OPINION: A Periodic Come-From-Behind Win with Ranked Choice Voting Is The Whole Point
The San Francisco mayor’s race was a cliffhanger. After the initial tally of votes for San Francisco mayor, London Breed had 37%, Mark Leno had 24%. Then ranked-choice voting’s instant runoffs kicked in...
22 June, 2018
Will New England States Bolster Ranked Choice Voting in 2019?
04 January, 2019
2019 Sees Tremendous Surge in Ranked Choice Legislation Nationwide
07 February, 2019