This month saw the year’s clearest example of why America needs ranked choice voting (RCV). In the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor, the two leading candidates were separated by under 4,000 votes – while 68,000 “zombie votes” went to candidates who dropped out of the race before primary day.

Ranked choice voting solves this problem by letting voters rank backup choices. If a voter’s favorite candidate drops out (or doesn’t have a chance to win), their vote counts for whomever they ranked next.

Read FairVote’s analysis of the Wisconsin primary and watch the video about “zombie votes” below, then read on for big news on RCV in presidential primaries and more.

• On August 15, the Democratic National Committee met in Austin to consider rules for the 2028 presidential primaries – including a proposed ban on ranked choice voting. State Democratic parties from across the country mobilized against the ban and defeated it on the convention floor, with one committee member calling it “the first time in memory that the DNC amended the… proposed delegate selection rules.”
• Check out FairVote’s analysis on how RCV works in Democratic presidential primaries, and Rep. Jamie Raskin’s video celebrating the defeat of the ban.
• Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais, a growing number of political and civil rights leaders have endorsed proportional representation. Read more on the new endorsements.
• A new poll published in NPR finds that voters are open to proportional representation – by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.
• Tomorrow, South Carolina Republicans will vote in a runoff for U.S. Senate – their fourth time voting this summer. Learn how ranked choice voting is a better, faster, cheaper alternative to runoffs.
• Alaskans went to the polls on Tuesday to vote in the state’s open, all-candidate primary. Read more about how open primaries and RCV are working in Alaska.
• Watch Rob Richie, FairVote’s cofounder and long-time CEO, discuss RCV on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal.
• Why don’t more independents run for office? FairVote’s Avram Reisman explains why – and how ranked choice voting can help – in the video below.