Ranked Choice Voting - Independent Voter News

Maine Let Independents In — Then Made Candidates Earn a Majority

The parties still had their primaries — but Maine gave independent voters a way in and every voter a stronger voice.

By

/ June 11, 2026

Independent voter casts a ranked choice ballot in Maine’s semi-open primary with the Maine state flag in the background.

Presidential Primaries Are Built to Waste Votes. Ranked Choice Voting Could Change That.

Both parties have those who resist change, to be sure, but here’s why ranked choice voting makes so much sense for both Democrats and Republicans.

By

Rob Richie

/ June 11, 2026

Presidential Primaries Are Built to Waste Votes. Ranked Choice Voting Could Change That.

Buffalo City Hall Tried to Kill Pro-Voter Reform Before Voters Could Weigh In

Voters have a chance to vote on open primaries, ranked choice voting, and better ballot access rules, even if City Hall doesn't

By

Shawn Griffiths

/ June 10, 2026

Buffalo City Hall Tried to Kill Pro-Voter Reform Before Voters Could Weigh In

Maine's Best Political Story Has Nothing to Do with Graham Platner's Sexting

All the attention is on Graham Platner's scandals, but something is happening in Maine that is unheard of in the rest of the country, and it is because of the state's use of ranked choice voting. Not all candidates are at each other's throats.

By

Cara Brown McCormick

/ June 8, 2026

Maine's Best Political Story Has Nothing to Do with Graham Platner's Sexting

Oklahoma Rejected Nearly 58,000 Signatures for Open Primaries. Now Voters Want Answers.

The Oklahoma secretary of state rejected the signatures of an open primary initiative. Now, voters are taking the matter to court.

By

Shawn Griffiths

/ June 8, 2026

Oklahoma Rejected Nearly 58,000 Signatures for Open Primaries. Now Voters Want Answers.

Cumulative Voting: The Little-Known Reform That Could Crack Open America’s Two-Party Lock

Cumulative voting is another alternative to winner-take-all elections that has far more American uses today and is the one such alternative with a history in state legislative elections.

By

Rob Richie

/ June 5, 2026

Ballot being cast. In the reform debate, cumulative voting and other systems based on voting for candidates deserve more attention.

Report: California Has Tried Ranked Choice Voting for 20 Years. The Scare Tactics Don’t Hold Up.

A new FairVote report finds RCV cities in California have saved money, increased participation in decisive elections, and elected more women and candidates of color.

By

Shawn Griffiths

/ May 22, 2026

Report: California Has Tried Ranked Choice Voting for 20 Years. The Scare Tactics Don’t Hold Up.

RCV Poll: Harris vs Newsom Is the Wrong Question. Voters Want Backup Choices in 2028

The 2028 Democratic presidential primary is still years away, but the early polling is already revealing a familiar problem: A crowded field can make voter preferences look flatter, narrower, and more divided than they actually are.

By

Shawn Griffiths

/ May 20, 2026

Kamala Harris (left) and Gavin Newsom (right).

Maine Voters Don’t Need a Party Label to Have More Choice on June 9

Ranked Choice Voting will be used statewide in Maine on June 9, 2026, and voters don't need to join a party to get a say in these taxpayer-funded primaries.

By

Cara Brown McCormick

/ May 20, 2026

Maine ranked choice voting will be available to all voters in the June 9 primary.

California’s Top Two Primary Needs an Upgrade, Not a Repeal

Instead of turning back the clock, California should continue its history of pro-voter reform and build on the top-two system – by adding ranked-choice voting to its elections.

By

Meredith Sumpter and

Marcela Miranda-Prieto

/ May 18, 2026

Diverse group of Los Angeles voters holding signs that say Ranked Choice Voting, Top 4 Primary, and More Choice in front of the downtown skyline.

California Voter ID Initiative Just Made the Ballot

California voters are set to decide whether to add voter ID to the state constitution, after election officials announced the California Voter ID Initiative cleared the signature threshold needed for the 2026 ballot.

By

Shawn Griffiths

/ April 27, 2026

California officials have announced the 2026 voter ID initiative has qualified for the ballot.

Independent Voter Project Brings Election Reform Conversation to "Beyond the Campaign"

The Independent Voter Project sat down this week with Michelle Glogovac on her podcast Beyond the Campaign, a show that has built a following by doing something most political media doesn't: skipping the talking points and focusing on the people and ideas behind public life.

By

Susan von Seggern

/ April 23, 2026

The Independent Voter Project sat down this week with Michelle Glogovac on her podcast Beyond the Campaign.