Shawn Griffiths
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.
US Senator Peter Welch of Vermont introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
“Ranked choice voting focuses American elections and campaigns on coalition-building,” said Raskin.
“Our legislation incentivizes candidates to reach a broader range of the voting public, making our electoral process more democratic, more positive, more efficient and more representative—and our Congress too.”
Under ranked choice voting, voters rank candidates in order of preference instead of bubbling in or selecting a single choice on the ballot. They mark candidates as 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, etc.
If no candidate gets over 50% of first-choice selections, the last place candidate is eliminated, and their voters' next choices are applied to the results. This elimination process continues until a candidate has a majority of voters' preferences.
The final tabulation reflects how voters would cast their ballot if the eliminated candidates were not an option from the start and transfers into the final vote count -- which is called a single-transferable vote.
Advocates of ranked choice voting assert that when voters have the option to express their preferences fully it empowers their choice in the elections process while ensuring a majority winner.
They also, like Raskin, point to the incentive to engage in less polarizing and divisive campaigning, as candidates have to reach out to be voters' second, third, even fourth choice.
“Our democracy is at its strongest when everyone is heard and represented," said Senator Welch.
"Ranked choice voting offers an opportunity to break through polarization and strengthen our democracy by ensuring that our elected candidates have received the broad support of the folks they’ll represent."
The Ranked Choice Voting Act applies to all congressional primaries and general elections and would enact the alternative voting method starting in the 2028 presidential election cycle.
The bill, which was originally introduced in 2019, carries the endorsements of several bipartisan and nonpartisan groups, including:
Business for Democracy, Campaign Legal Center, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Electoral Innovation Lab, Divided We Fall, FairVote Action, National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), RepresentUs, RepresentWomen, Secure Elections Network, Third Way, and more.
There are also many state and local organizations that support the Ranked Choice Voting Act as well.
“Ranked choice voting is the fastest-growing election reform in the nation because it works,” said FairVote President and CEO Meredith Sumpter. FairVote is the nation's preeminent advocate for the reform.
Sumpter added:
“RCV fixes the ‘spoiler problem’ and ensures winning candidates represent the majority of voters – without the need for expensive, low-turnout runoffs. Everywhere it’s used, voters have embraced RCV and the better choices, better campaigns, and better governance that it delivers."
The Independent Voter Project, a principal sponsor of Independent Voter News, also submitted a letter in support of the legislation, which was designated HR 4464 when it was first introduced.
"[The Ranked Choice Voting Act] has the potential to generate a thoughtful, healthy, and national debate about the way we elect our representatives," wrote Dan Howle, Executive Director of the Independent Voter Project.
"Voters, candidates, and elected officials who believe in the need for more nonpartisan governance should recognize that the way we elect our representatives is inextricably tied to the incentives of policymaking."
Ranked choice voting is the fastest growing nonpartisan election reform in the US, now used in 50 jurisdictions, including 2 states (Alaska and Maine), representing roughly 16 million people.
It has become so popular with voters that it has won 27 city ballot measures in a row.