Shawn Griffiths
Video Source: KATU News / YouTube
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.
This includes cities in California, Utah, Minnesota, Michigan, Colorado, Illinois, Virginia, Washington, and more, and it is used at the state level in Alaska and Maine.
In total, 50 US jurisdictions use RCV in public elections and make it available to all voters. including 2 states, 3 counties, and 45 cities.
These jurisdictions account for approximately 13 million voters. But this doesn't count jurisdictions with limited use, like for military and overseas ballots.
Four states will have measures on the 2024 ballot that include RCV with nonpartisan primaries, and DC voters could adopt its use for all District elections.
As the reform grows, voters across the US are still largely unfamiliar with the voting method, how it works, and why it has so much appeal where it is proposed.
Melanie Billings-Yun from the Portland League of Women Voters joined KATU News’s Steve Dunn to break down RCV and help viewers better understand what it means for elections.
Check out the video above.
Portland will use RCV for the first time in November. It joins other major US cities like Seattle and New York City in adopting the alternative voting method for at least some of their elections.