Skokie Is the Latest Illinois City to Embrace Ranked Choice Voting

Clear ballot box with ballot inside.
Photo by Kamran Abdullayev on Unsplash. Unsplash+ license obtained by editor.
Cara Brown McCormickCara Brown McCormick
Published: 02 Apr, 2025
2 min read

Skokie, Ill. — Skokie voters went to the polls on April 1 amidst a closely watched mayoral election to decide whether or not to adopt ranked choice voting (RCV). With 100% of precincts reporting, 58% of participating voters said ‘Yes’ to changing how the city conducts elections. 

The vote follows decisive RCV victories in neighboring Evanston in 2022 and Oak Park in 2024.

The binding referendum asked whether the village of Skokie should elect its mayor, village clerk, and board of trustees using RCV — an electoral system that gives voters the opportunity to rank candidates in order of preference, rather than just choosing a single candidate. 

After the first-choice votes are counted, if no candidate has received a majority of the votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to the remaining candidates according to voters' second choices.

This process is repeated until one candidate receives a majority.

Read the full text of the Skokie ballot question approved by 58 percent of voters here

Skokie’s Village Board of Trustees previously declined to put the referendum on the November 2024 ballot. This led pro-democracy activists to gather 2,400 signatures from Skokie’s registered voters to place the RCV referendum on the April 1 ballot. 

Skokie residents also chose a new independent mayor for the first time since the 1990s. Ann Tennes, who ran as an independent, defeated Charles Isho and David “Azi” Lifsics, winning the three-way race with 48.57% of the vote

When Skokie implements its new citizen-initiated law, neither Tennes nor any other candidate can win an election outright with less than 50% of the vote.

IVP Donate

About Skokie

Located 15 miles from downtown Chicago, Skokie has a population of 67,824, according to the 2020 census. The village is perhaps best known for the 1977 U.S. Supreme Court case, National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie, which affirmed First Amendment protections during a highly controversial attempted march by neo-Nazis through a community with a large population of Holocaust survivors.

This moment in history was the impetus for the founding of the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, which today includes the Take a Stand Center and Take a Stand Lab, interactive exhibits designed to encourage visitors to participate actively in democracy.

In this article

You Might Also Like

soldiers boarding a plane.
Left Behind: How Runoff Elections Disenfranchise Military and Overseas Voters -- And How We Can Fix It
When Americans serve overseas, they should never have to wonder whether their vote will count. Yet for thousands of service members and U.S. citizens abroad, the very structure of our elections makes that impossible -- especially when it comes to runoff elections....
16 Sep, 2025
-
4 min read
How It Really Works Voter Rights
How It Really Works: Does Your Vote Even Matter?
Imagine showing up to vote in November, proud that you are doing your civic duty, only to learn that the real contest happened six months ago without you. The winner was decided in a low-turnout primary while you were busy living your life. This is not a conspiracy. It is how the system was built. ...
10 Sep, 2025
-
12 min read
Voters v. The Legislature: Who Will Decide the Fate of Ranked Choice Voting in Michigan?
Voters v. The Legislature: Who Will Decide the Fate of Ranked Choice Voting in Michigan?
Rank MI Vote is gathering petition signatures for an amendment to the Michigan constitution that – if approved by voters – will allow voters who cast a ballot for president, Congress, governor, and more to use ranked choice voting instead of marking just a single candidate....
08 Sep, 2025
-
4 min read
Ethan Penner
Could This Well-Funded Independent Upend the CA Governor’s Race?
Ethan Penner, a Calabasas businessman, author, and educator with a storied career in real estate finance, has officially announced his intention to run for California governor in 2026 as an independent. On his campaign website, Penner says he is running to “disrupt the failing two-party system.” ...
12 Sep, 2025
-
5 min read
Supreme Court of the United States
Forward Party Joins Petition to SCOTUS Against State of Florida
Right now, the divide between the Republican and Democratic Parties appears beyond repair. The political rhetoric is toxic, the nation’s leadership puts party gain before lasting solutions, and few voters actually feel heard by the people elected to represent them. At a time when it seems things will only get worse from here, the Independent Voter Project filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court along with Open Primaries and the Forward Party in support of a lawsuit that targets one of the biggest culprits behind all of this....
16 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read
congress flag
Poll: 82% of Americans Want Redistricting Done by Independent Commission, Not Politicians
There may be no greater indication that voters are not being listened to in the escalating redistricting war between the Republican and Democratic Parties than a new poll from NBC News that shows 8-in-10 Americans want the parties to stop....
10 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read