New Ranked Choice Voting Act Introduced in Congress

image
Published: 25 Sep, 2019
Updated: 14 Aug, 2022
2 min read

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 congressional elections beginning in 2022.

Ranked choice voting allows voters to rank the candidates in order of preference and guarantees the winner has over 50% of the vote.

“It makes me proud to introduce this legislation to make America’s elections fairer, more positive, more efficient, and more representative,” said Raskin during a joint press conference with co-sponsor US Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08) and reform leaders and advocates.

“Our legislation will ensure that candidates who are elected to Congress are the ones who have most successfully assembled a majority of voters. It will also lift up the voices of a much broader cross-section of the voting public, because voters who prefer less popular candidates in the first round of voting can still play a role in forging a majority for the ultimate winning candidate. It will also make our campaigns far more positive. Instead of trying to win votes by denigrating their opponent, candidates will have an incentive to flatter other candidates to win over their supporters."

“Ranked choice voting can play a significant role in addressing our hyper-partisan, polarized political environment by discouraging negative campaigning and promoting majority support,” said Beyer.

“At a time when democracy is in jeopardy and approval of Congress is at an all-time low, this is the kind of bold idea we need to reduce the polarization in our politics that prevents common sense solutions from becoming law. Instituting ranked choice voting for all U.S. Senate and House elections and primaries would put voters back in charge and make our Congress function efficiently and we should pass it.”

Other co-sponsors include US Reps. Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Scott Peters (CA-52), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Joe Kennedy (MA-04), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Joe Kennedy (MA-4), Kathleen Rice (NY-04), Jim Cooper (TN-05), and Steven Cohen (TN-09).

Ranked choice voting is already in use for US House primary and general elections in Maine, which was approved by state voters in 2016. It is also in use in other state races in Maine and in over a dozen cities across the US.

Check out this press release on the joint press call by FairVote, the nation's largest group advocating for ranked choice voting.

Latest articles

CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read