Fact Sheet: Ranked Choice Voting Headed for Biggest Election Day Yet
October 23, 2024 – On November 5, the number of states using ranked choice voting (RCV) could triple – from two to six. Any of the four states where RCV is on the ballot – Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, or Oregon – would become the most populous state to adopt the reform. Washington, DC and three other cities will also vote on RCV, which has now won 27 city ballot measures in a row.
Voters in Alaska and Maine will use RCV for the presidential election, where it will address the “spoiler problem” posed in other states by third-party candidates like Jill Stein, Cornel West, and Chase Oliver. Alaska and Maine will also use RCV to elect their members of Congress, including two tossup districts (AK-AL and possibly ME-2) that could decide control of the U.S. House. 12 cities and counties will use RCV for local elections, including to elect the mayor in San Francisco and Portland, Oregon.
Given that RCV was used in only 10 cities and zero states in 2016, this growth trajectory is almost unthinkable – any statewide win this November would be a remarkable step forward for the election reform movement. Below is more info on ranked choice voting on Election Day 2024:
RCV Ballot Measures
- Colorado, Idaho, and Nevada will vote on adopting both open primaries and an RCV general election, for both state and federal elections. Colorado and Idaho’s open primary would advance four candidates to the general election; Nevada’s would advance five. Nevada voters already voted YES on this reform in 2022; however, it needs to be passed twice to take effect as a constitutional amendment.
- Oregon and Washington, DC will vote on adopting RCV in both party primaries and the general election. Oregon’s ballot measure would apply to all statewide and federal offices, and DC’s would apply to all offices. Both would include RCV for the presidential election.
- Alaska will vote on repealing its use of RCV and open primaries. Missouri will vote on a ballot measure to ban noncitizen voting that also includes a ban on RCV – even though no cities in the state use it.
- Additional information – including four cities that will vote on RCV ballot measures – is available here.
RCV on Election Day 2024
- Alaska and Maine will use RCV to elect the president and their members of Congress, including the U.S. Senate election in Maine. Alaska will also use RCV to elect its state legislature.
- Voters in both states say ranking candidates is easy – 85% in Alaska and 82% in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, both in 2022. Over 60% of voters have expressed support for the reform in each state.
- In 2022, Alaska elected a conservative Republican governor, moderate Republican senator, and moderate Democratic congresswoman in their first use of RCV.
- Four candidates are on the ballot for Alaska’s at-large House race, which appears likely to go to an RCV count – meaning that lower-performing candidates are eliminated and their votes counted for voters’ backup choices. There are only two candidates on the ballot in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District; that race is less likely to go to an RCV count, though there is a third declared write-in candidate.
- 12 cities and counties will use ranked choice voting this November, across six states (CA, DE, ME, MD, OR, and VA)
- Portland, OR will use RCV for the first time and elect an entirely new city government including its mayor and 12 city council members. Portland voters overwhelmingly supported a charter reform package in 2022 to overhaul their city government.
Why ranked choice voting is growing
- Ranked choice voting gives voters greater choice and delivers majority winners in a crowded field.
- Research shows that RCV is delivering on its promise of less negative campaigning and greater outreach to voters.
- Voters overwhelmingly say they like and understand ranked choice voting.
- More women and people of color run for office and win with ranked choice voting.
- RCV offers a solution to the “spoiler” debate dating back to Ross Perot and Ralph Nader, and currently occurring with Jill Stein. With RCV, voters can rank a third-party candidate first; if that candidate does poorly, their vote simply counts for their next choice – instead of helping their least-favorite candidate win. We can keep having this same spoiler debate every four years, or we can fix it with ranked choice voting.
RCV and Results Timing
- Most cities using RCV – including San Francisco and Portland – will produce results within 24 hours of polls closing. The RCV count is a push of a button and takes just seconds.
- Where results have been slower, it has been a choice by election administrators to allow all ballots to come in before reporting any preliminary RCV results. This timeline is not required to run an RCV election, as these other cities demonstrate.
- Long-standing Alaska law allows absentee ballots to arrive up to 15 days after the election, and the state has a history of late election results; Sen. Murkowski’s win in 2010 was called after 15 days, and Rep. Don Young and Sen. Sullivan’s wins in 2020 were called after eight days. The Alaska Division of Elections does not tabulate any RCV results until all absentee ballots are collected.
- Similarly, Maine’s election administrators do not tabulate any RCV results until all ballots are centralized.
Full List of Jurisdictions Using Ranked Choice Voting in 2024 General Elections
- Alaska
- Maine
- California
- Albany
- Berkeley
- Oakland
- San Francisco
- Delaware
- Arden
- Maryland
- Takoma Park
- Maine
- Portland
- Westbrook (1st use for municipal election)
- Oregon
- Benton County
- Corvallis
- Portland (1st use)
- Virginia
- Arlington County
Ranked choice voting is the fastest-growing voting reform in the nation, and has now grown to over 50 states, counties, and cities reaching approximately 16 million Americans across the nation.
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