Illinois cities are embracing ranked choice voting
The Prairie State is a burgeoning hub for ranked choice voting (RCV). At least four Illinois municipalities have active movements to adopt RCV, so the number of Illinois voters using RCV could soon skyrocket.
RCV improves elections by allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference. If your first choice doesn’t have a chance to win, your vote counts for your next choice. RCV gives voters more choice and more voice; elects winners with broad support; and offers a faster and cheaper alternative to the expensive, low-turnout runoff elections used by many Illinois cities.
Evanston was the first Illinois city to welcome RCV for all voters. In 2022, voters there chose to adopt RCV via ballot measure, with a whopping 83% in favor. As has been the case in states like Alaska, California, Maine, Minnesota, one adoption of RCV often leads to more; Evanston “election envy” is driving three other Illinois cities to take steps toward RCV.
In neighboring Skokie, residents are gathering signatures to put RCV on the November ballot, while the Village Board is considering putting RCV on the ballot itself.
Meanwhile, a petition is circulating in nearby Naperville to put an RCV measure on the 2025 ballot. The ballot measure would ask voters if they want to use RCV in mayoral and city council elections. According to local organizer Rebecca Williams:
The residents here seem to quickly understand the concept of (ranked choice voting) and appreciate the idea of having more choices when they vote.
A petition is also circulating in Oak Park. The Oak Park Village board has previously discussed putting the measure on the ballot directly.
In Peoria, a non-binding RCV measure will be on the November 2024 ballot asking voters if Illinois should adopt RCV for state and federal elections. The ballot measure was approved at the annual township meeting last month. As one Peoria resident stated at the meeting, “ranked choice voting works in all types of elections and supports more representative outcomes. It means better choices, better campaigns, and better representation.”
Chicago is also a prime candidate for RCV, though there’s not currently a ballot measure on the horizon. Chicago’s last mayoral election included a long, contentious runoff campaign. RCV would have identified a winner on Election Day – and freed voters to express their honest preferences, rather than vote strategically based on which candidates they thought could advance to the runoff. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he supports RCV during his campaign (as did his runoff opponent, Paul Vallas).
Voters, elected officials, and advocates in Illinois are rallying around RCV. We can expect to see more Illinois cities join the list of the 50+ U.S. cities, counties, and states using RCV soon. If you’re an Illinois resident, check out FairVote Illinois to see how you can get involved!
Photo from Madcoverboy under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
