The Battle to Give Voters More Choice Is Happening on 11 Fronts This November

While Republicans and Democrats fight for control of Congress this election, there is another fight at the ballot box that has been growing for decades — one that isn’t about which party wins, but how much choice voters actually have.

From Massachusetts to Alaska, and several points in between, grassroots organizations, nonpartisan coalitions, voting rights advocates, and former elected officials are campaigning on ballot measures that would fundamentally change how Americans vote.

Some are trying to open up taxpayer-funded primaries to millions of independent voters. Others want to add to the growing list of cities adopting ranked choice voting.

Still others are fighting to protect citizens' ability to make policy when lawmakers refuse to act.

I have been at the forefront of this space for nearly 15 years. Reformers can be at each other’s throats over which solutions best give voters a better democratic process. Yet at the end of the day, they all strive to resolve a common question:

Who should elections serve: Voters or the politicians who write and benefit from its rules?

Here are 11 of the reform movements, organizations, and individuals on the front lines going into November.

Opening Up Elections and Expanding Voter Choice

1. Massachusetts Question 3: A Bipartisan Revolt Against Party Primaries

In Massachusetts, voters can adopt a nonpartisan election system that gives them more choice at the most critical stage of the elections process.

Question 3 would replace separate partisan primaries with a single, nonpartisan primary open to all voters and candidates. The top two finishers would advance to November, regardless of party.

California and Washington already use this system. Alaska also uses nonpartisan open primaries, but advances four candidates.

The Coalition for Healthy Democracy (CHD) is leading the charge, with campaign manager Jesse Littlewood and Harvard professor Danielle Allen among the prominent figures behind the effort.

The campaign supporting Question 3 has attracted high-profile support, including from two former governors: Republican Charlie Baker and Democrat Deval Patrick. Former Republican Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey also supports it.

These endorsements matter because both major political parties in Massachusetts oppose the proposal.

Baker, Patrick, and Healey's endorsements also highlight a key argument for the “Yes” campaign: reform can transcend party loyalty.

“The journey toward this campaign started in Western Mass at Spring of Hope Church in Springfield, when community members told me they didn’t vote because ‘there are no choices on the ballot,'” said Allen, who is the convening chair of the Yes on 3 campaign.

“They saw a broken election system, and that stayed with me. Their experience is not unique to any one town, city or district – it’s true across the Commonwealth, where the majority of seats go uncontested year after year, and constituents feel like afterthoughts.”

Allen added that “Question 3 is about making sure that all voters have a say, our races become competitive, and our elected officials listen and are incentivized to make real progress on all the challenges we’re facing.”

According to GBH's October 20 reporting, CHD has spent about $4 million supporting the measure, making it the state's most expensive ballot-question campaign this cycle.

Defending Open Primaries, Ranked Choice Voting, and ‘Dark Money’ Transparency

2. Alaska Ballot Measure 2: The Fight to Save a Reform Package Voters Already Approved and Defended

In Alaska, Ballot Measure 2 would repeal a reform package voters approved in 2020, including its nonpartisan Top Four primaries, ranked choice voting in general elections, and campaign finance disclosure requirements.

The campaign to defeat the repeal is No on 2 – Protect Alaska's Elections, a coalition bringing together Republicans, Democrats, independents, labor organizations, and Alaska Native leaders.

Former Republican state legislator Lesil McGuire, who chaired the successful 2024 campaign against a previous repeal effort, remains a prominent defender of the system.

“My support is built around the belief that all Alaskans should have a choice and a voice in who represents them," McGuire said.

"Open primaries allow rugged, individual, free-thinking Alaskans to evaluate the candidates and vote for the person."

The coalition announced on October 1 that it had expanded to 150 Alaska leaders. It has also secured the backing of 17 labor organizations.

More is at stake in this election than the mechanics of voting. Approximately 64% of Alaska's registered voters do not belong to a political party. If repeal passes, the state will return to a system where the parties decide what voting rights they have.

Not to mention that unlike the 2024 repeal effort, which voters narrowly rejected, Ballot Measure 2 this year would also eliminate popular transparency requirements on “dark money” sources.

Bringing Ranked Choice Voting to More Cities

3. Irvine, California: A Grassroots Coalition for Measure D

As IVN previously reported, three cities will consider adopting ranked choice voting this November.

In Irvine, Voter Choice Irvine is leading the campaign for Measure D, which would direct the city to implement ranked choice voting for mayoral and City Council elections after January 1, 2028.

This is subject to technical and financial feasibility (which has stalled implementation of reform in some cities).

“As one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, Irvine is showing how local communities can lead the way in building a stronger democracy,” said Campaign Director Branda Lin.

“Ranked-choice voting guarantees majority rule and gives voters a bigger voice. Success in November will prove voters across the country are ready for elections that reward accountability, common ground, and true representation.”

The campaign has attracted a diverse range of supporters, including:

• FairVote and California Ranked Choice Voting
• Veterans for All Voters
• League of Women Voters
• RepresentWomen
• UNITE HERE Local 11
• UC Irvine Faculty Association

It also has support from groups across the ideological spectrum, including the Orange County Democratic Socialists of America.

Supporters argue the reform would allow voters to rank their actual preferences without worrying about splitting the vote.

If passed, Irvine would become the 9th California city to adopt ranked choice voting. A court has also ordered Huntington Beach to adopt a proportional form of RCV, bringing the total number to 10.

4. Longmont, Colorado: Another Local Test for Ranked Choice Voting

In Longmont, Question 3C would amend the city charter to allow ranked choice voting in mayoral and City Council elections beginning in 2029.

The Longmont City Council voted 6-1 to place the proposal on the ballot, providing strong institutional backing for the reform.

Supporters also want voters to approve Question 3D, a companion measure that would reorganize City Council election cycles and take effect only if the ranked choice voting proposal passes.

If approved, Longmont would join 5 other Colorado cities that have already adopted the reform.

5. Honolulu, Hawaii: A Chance to Make State History

Honolulu's Question 5 is not just about ranked choice voting. It is about ensuring elections are decided when the most voters participate.

The measure would establish ranked choice voting for mayor, City Council, and prosecuting attorney beginning in 2032. It would also replace a two-election process, where winners can be selected outright in a lower-turnout August primary, with a single election in November.

Honolulu's Charter Commission originated the proposal and voted 10-3 to advance Question 5. Commissioner Trey Gordner has become one of its most notable advocates.

“The last charter commission asked us to research ranked choice voting 10 years ago. We did, and we found that ranked choice voting means more opportunity for a more diverse set of candidates,” he said.

“We found that it means more choices for voters, and we heard from testifiers that it leads to a more collegial sort of democracy in which people are competing for second choices, and so you don’t have these sorts of nasty campaigns.”

National reform group FairVote has also provided testimony and legal analysis supporting the measure.

There is a caveat: The proposal makes implementation contingent on approval from the Hawaii Legislature, even though some legal experts argue that approval is unnecessary.

Supporters point out that in 2024 voters decided every Honolulu city office on the ballot in August. If Question 5 is approved, the final say in local elections won't happen before November.

The outcome could determine whether Hawaii's largest city becomes the first municipality in the state to adopt ranked choice voting.

Fighting Gerrymandering and Protecting Citizen Initiatives

6. Missouri Proposition A: People Not Politicians Takes on A Gerrymander

Missouri has become one of the country's most contentious battlegrounds over congressional redistricting.

People Not Politicians Missouri, led by Executive Director Richard von Glahn, spearheaded the petition drive to challenge the congressional map Republican lawmakers adopted in 2025.

The campaign collected more than 300,000 signatures and survived an attempt by Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to keep its referendum off the ballot.

Proposition A asks voters whether to approve the new map. A NO vote rejects it.

The anti-gerrymandering campaign has support from organized labor and voting rights advocates, including the Missouri AFL-CIO, SEIU Missouri/Kansas State Council, and Missouri Jobs with Justice Voter Action.

The Missouri Democratic Party also opposes Proposition A.

A series of court rulings has already delivered a victory for the referendum campaign: Missouri will use its previous congressional districts for the November election while voters decide whether to approve the legislature's replacement.

As IVN recently explained, rejecting Proposition A would deliver another blow to the effort to redraw congressional districts between census cycles for partisan advantage.

7. Missouri Amendment 6: Protecting Laws Voters Pass Themselves

Missouri voters will also decide whether to strengthen the state's citizen initiative process.

Respect Missouri Voters is leading the campaign for Amendment 6, which would significantly restrict lawmakers' ability to rewrite or overturn laws enacted through citizen initiatives.

It would require an 80% vote in both legislative chambers to refer changes to voter-approved laws back to voters and preserve the existing signature thresholds and statewide simple-majority standard for citizen initiatives.

"Amendment 6 protects our 118-year-old constitutional right to put issues on the ballot, requires clear and fair ballot language, and protects citizen-led initiatives from being overturned by politicians," said 'Yes' campaign spokesperson Jack Cardetti.

"Amendment 6 ensures that Missourians can be a check and balance on politicians when they are ignoring our voices."

A broad coalition supports the campaign, including the Missouri NAACP, Missouri National Organization for Women, Veterans for All Voters, and the Missouri AFL-CIO.

It has also attracted endorsements from former Republican US Sen. Jack Danforth and former Democratic Secretary of State Jason Kander.

The campaign collected more than 367,000 signatures to get on the ballot, and like Proposition A, it will appear despite an effort by Hoskins to reject it.

Together, Prop A and Amendment 6 give voters an opportunity not only to strengthen their power at the ballot box, but also to prevent another mid-cycle gerrymandering attempt before the next census.

Missouri Voters Could Kill a Gerrymander — And Make It Harder for Politicians to Try Again

Missouri voters will decide on two ballot measures that could reshape congressional redistricting. Rejecting the new map while approving Amendment 6 might prevent lawmakers from passing a similar map before 2031.

Independent Voter NewsShawn Griffiths

8. Montana CI-133: Putting the Right to Citizen Initiatives Into the Constitution

In Montana, a coalition called Montanans Decide is campaigning for Constitutional Initiative 133 (CI-133).

The measure would strengthen constitutional protections for citizens to propose and vote on laws through initiatives and referendums.

It would require the government to meet a stringent legal standard before restricting that right and establish procedural safeguards, including timelines for legal reviews and protections against technical disqualification of petitions.

Montanans Decide collected more than 100,000 signatures to qualify the proposal. Endorsers include Forward Montana and Montanans for Choice Take Action.

In an October 12 report, campaign spokesperson Dani Hess emphasized the need to protect Montanans' ability to propose and vote on laws without government interference.

“Montanans know what is best for Montanans, and CI-133 protects our right to propose and vote on laws that put our interests first,” he said.

9. Utah Amendment B: Reform Advocates Fight a Higher Bar for Voters

Unlike Montana's CI-133 and Missouri's Amendment 6, Amendment B in Utah would make certain citizen initiatives harder to pass.

Sponsored by Republican state Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, the proposal would require 60% voter approval for citizen initiatives that increase or expand specified taxes, rather than the current simple-majority standard.

The higher threshold would not apply to ordinary tax legislation passed by state lawmakers.

Voting rights advocates, including Better Boundaries, have criticized the proposal for creating an unequal standard between lawmakers and voters.

Better Boundaries Executive Director Elizabeth Rasmussen has linked the proposal to Utah's broader conflict over direct democracy, particularly the years-long fight over Proposition 4, the anti-gerrymandering initiative voters approved in 2018.

Republican lawmakers argue Amendment B would protect taxpayers by requiring broader public support for tax increases.

But reform advocates see a larger issue: whether elected officials should be able to impose tougher rules on voters exercising the initiative power than on themselves.

The proposal has renewed attention on how Utah lawmakers have responded to voter-approved initiatives involving redistricting, Medicaid expansion, and medical marijuana.

Not All Fights Are On The Ballot

More reform advocates and organizations are trying to give voters more choice and better elections than ever before in the US. But not all fights will be on the ballot. Some of them are taking place in the courts, and others in state legislatures.

10. Court Challenges to Closed Primaries in Multiple States

Independent Veterans of America (IVA) and the Independent Voter Project (IVP) joined a lawsuit with IVA Founder Paul Rieckhoff and Army veteran Kristen Rouse challenging New York’s use of closed primary elections.

"We are suing the state that we love because we want it to be better," Rieckhoff said. "The way our elections are working right now is unfair, un-American, unpopular, and we would argue unlawful and unconstitutional."

It is not the only lawsuit, either. Closed primary suits are also underway in Maryland, Wyoming, and Oregon. The New York case was filed not long after retired Florida attorney Michael Polelle brought his complaint all the way to the steps of the US Supreme Court.

11. Pennsylvania Is Close to Ending Closed Primaries

In Pennsylvania, semi-open primary legislation has cleared the state House and is now in the Senate. Recently, state Sen. Lisa Boscola spoke on the chamber floor with a powerful message: “No American citizen should be treated like a second-class voter.”

She added that this is exactly what her state does to over 1.4 million independent voters.

The legislation is supported by Ballot PA Action and Open Primaries. The organizations are calling on Pennsylvania residents to contact their state senator and encourage them to vote for open primaries.