FairVote news update: May 21, 2026
Yesterday, FairVote published a new ranked choice poll of potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates. 63% of likely Democratic primary voters support using ranked choice voting (RCV) in the primary.
Read on for more information about the poll, a new study on RCV in California, and other news from the election reform movement.
Ranked choice poll offers early insights on 2028 presidential race
A new Lake Research Partners poll of 2028 Democratic primary voters shows a competitive field, with Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom leading a ranked choice simulation. The poll included 13 possible Democratic candidates, and allowed respondents to rank up to five choices.
63% of respondents support using ranked choice voting for presidential primaries, which increases to 70% after they had the opportunity to rank potential presidential candidates. 84% say ranking candidates is easy.
See the round-by-round RCV count below, and our full breakdown of the poll here.
Study: Ranked choice voting improves elections in California cities
This morning, FairVote published a new study on RCV in seven California cities.
Here are some key takeaways:
- RCV was first used in California in 2004 in San Francisco. Since then, RCV has expanded to seven Golden State cities, and a supermajority of voters continue to support it.
- RCV elections have led to increased representation for Asian American and Latino communities, as well as more women winning office. In total, candidates of color have won 64% of RCV races, compared to 36% in the same cities prior to adopting RCV. Women have won 44% of RCV races, compared to 34% before RCV.
- RCV has saved California cities $5 million per election cycle and driven higher participation by eliminating two-round elections. For example, in San Francisco’s last Board of Supervisors election before implementing RCV, runoff turnout declined by 42% from the general election.
- Officials elected with RCV have a strong mandate. An average of 73% of voters rank winning candidates in their top three choices, meaning winners have affirmative support from roughly three-quarters of their constituents.
Read the full report here.
Other election reform news
- New York Times journalist Ezra Klein shared why he supports proportional representation. Watch the clip.
- Several of Tuesday’s Georgia primary elections will go to costly, unnecessary runoffs that could be replaced with RCV. Read more.
- For the first time, ranked choice voting is written into Maryland law. Read more.
- A new video shows how voters are learning about RCV in DC – half-smoke sausages, fashion icons, sports teams, divas, and more. Watch it here.
- In case you missed it, our webinar on the 2026 primaries and ranked choice voting is now on YouTube. You can watch it here:
