Greenbelt, MD voters approve ranked choice voting
Yesterday, Greenbelt, MD residents voted to use ranked choice voting (RCV) in local elections, with initial results showing 67% in favor! The City Council will make the final decision on whether to adopt RCV – and voters have just sent a powerful message that they support the change. Across the nation, RCV has now won 33 of its last 34 ballot measures at the city level.
Sign up for the latest news from the ranked choice voting movement, or get involved in your community.
Specifically, Greenbelt’s ballot measure calls for adopting the proportional form of RCV for City Council elections. Proportional RCV is a proven reform that helps nearly all voters elect a candidate they support. It would bolster representation of communities of color and other underrepresented voices, ensuring the Council represents a much larger cross-section of the city.
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, Ranked Choice Voting Maryland mobilized volunteers across Greenbelt to connect with voters and share how RCV can improve politics. The group’s executive director, Michelle Whittaker, also published a powerful op-ed on RCV in Greenbelt Online:
The bottom line is that at-large plurality voting dilutes voting power and discourages competition. If we want to give all Greenbelters fair representation and equal voice in electing the Council, ranked choice voting is a proven solution.
– Michelle Whittaker
With RCV, voters are also able to rank their favorite candidates without fear of “wasting” their vote – if their first choice can’t win, their vote automatically counts for their next choice instead.
RCV already has a record of success in Maryland and the surrounding region. Takoma Park, MD and Arlington, VA both use the reform, and Washington, DC is slated to join them next year. Greenbelt should join its neighbors and improve its elections with ranked choice voting. To learn more, visit Ranked Choice Voting Maryland.
