DC Council votes to fund ranked choice voting implementation in nation’s capital
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Yates Wilburn, [email protected], 843 301 4115
Porter Bowman, [email protected], 203 703 8485
July 14, 2025 – In an 8-4 vote, the Council of the District of Columbia approved funding that would implement ranked choice voting (RCV) for District elections. This decision comes after 73% of DC voters approved Initiative 83 last November, which, if fully implemented, would also allow independent voters to cast ballots in primary elections. The Council has not yet appropriated funding for the open primaries component of Initiative 83, but could still do so as the budgeting process proceeds. (Note: On July 28, the DC Council formalized its funding for ranked choice voting, which will be implemented in 2026. The Council chose not to let independents vote in primaries.)
“Today’s vote on the DC Council fulfills a core element of what DC voters overwhelmingly asked for when they approved Initiative 83,” said Meredith Sumpter, CEO of FairVote, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for better elections. “While not implementing the entirety of Initiative 83, this decision will bring ranked choice voting to our nation’s capital. That will give DC voters greater choice and a stronger voice in their elections, and deliver better outcomes to the District of Columbia for years to come. I hope the City Council implements the entirety of Initiative 83 to fully enfranchise the District’s independent voters.”
“The journey to this historic day has been long, but well worth the effort to give DC voters more voice and more choice in our elections,” said Lisa D. T. Rice, proposer of Initiative 83 and Founding CEO of Grow Democracy DC. “While the entirety of Initiative 83 wasn’t funded today, we celebrate these eight Councilmembers’ commitment to expanding democracy in the District, the driving force behind Initiative 83. We remain hopeful that they’ll fully fund Initiative 83 at the Council’s second budget vote on July 28, and let the more than 84,000 independents in DC, like me, vote in our taxpayer-funded primary elections.”
Lisa D.T. Rice is available for comment. To schedule time to speak with her, please reach out to Make All Votes Count DC at [email protected].
This vote will allow the DC Board of Elections to implement RCV starting with the June 2026 primary elections – and to conduct a comprehensive voter education campaign beforehand.
BACKGROUND
Initiative 83 funding was originally left out of the Mayor’s Proposed 2026 Budget, despite the fact that it passed with nearly 73% of the vote in November 2024, including supermajority wins in all eight wards.
The current cost estimate for full implementation of Initiative 83 is just $0.52 per year per DC resident for the next four years, which would represent 0.007% of the Mayor’s Proposed Budget.
General Election 2024 – Certified Results for Initiative 83 (via the D.C. Board of Elections)
| Constituency | Votes For Initiative 83 | Percent For Initiative 83 |
| CITYWIDE | 212,332 | 72.89% |
| WARD 1 | 29,275 | 79.59% |
| WARD 2 | 25,686 | 75.05% |
| WARD 3 | 28,634 | 71.31% |
| WARD 4 | 25,980 | 68.53% |
| WARD 5 | 28,693 | 71.06% |
| WARD 6 | 33,649 | 75.14% |
| WARD 7 | 22,275 | 69.92% |
| WARD 8 | 18,140 | 71.98% |
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FairVote is a nonpartisan organization seeking better elections for all. We research and advance voting reforms that make democracy more functional and representative for every American.