Ranked Choice Voting Wins in 2 More Cities

Redondo Beach, CA votes to adopt ranked choice voting

Burlington, VT expands ranked choice voting to mayoral elections

March 8, 2023 – Yesterday, voters in Redondo Beach, CA and Burlington, VT voted to adopt or expand ranked choice voting (RCV) in their local elections. RCV has now won 22 city ballot measures in a row. RCV is the fastest-growing nonpartisan voting reform in the nation, and has now grown to 64 states, counties, and cities reaching approximately 16 million Americans across the nation. 

In initial results, 77% of Redondo Beach voters voted in favor of the RCV ballot measure, with mail ballots still coming in. 64% of Burlington voters voted in favor of the RCV ballot measure. 

“Ranked choice voting has now won 22 straight city ballot measures, because it solves problems and makes our elections better for everyone,” said Rob Richie, President and CEO of FairVote, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for better elections. “In Redondo Beach, RCV offers a faster, better, and cheaper alternative to runoff elections. Burlington is proof that RCV becomes even more popular once voters get a chance to use it – Vermont’s largest city already uses RCV for city council elections and residents are choosing to expand it to all municipal offices, including their mayoral contests. These two victories represent continued momentum for the ranked choice voting movement, from coast to coast.”

Redondo Beach will become the eighth city in California to adopt RCV, and the first in Los Angeles County. 

“Redondo Beach voted overwhelmingly for better elections,” said Tom Charron, Co-Founder of the California RCV Coalition. “Instead of low-turnout, toxic, and unrepresentative runoffs, RCV will give voters more choice and more voice in a single election. RCV will also save taxpayer money — a single Redondo Beach runoff in 2013 cost this 80,000-person city over $300,000! This is also a major step forward for RCV in California, as Redondo Beach becomes the first city in Southern California to vote for this better elections method.” 

Burlington already uses RCV to elect city council members, including in yesterday’s elections. Yesterday’s ballot measure will expand RCV to all city elections, including for mayor, school commission members, and ward election officers. With the addition of Burlington, the largest cities in seven states will now use RCV to elect their mayors. 

“Ranked choice voting is already giving Burlington voters more voice, more choice, and a stronger democracy in our city council elections. Voters have felt the benefits of RCV and voted for more,” said Sam McGinty, Democracy Advocate, VPIRG. “In crowded single-choice elections, candidates win without a majority and voters are forced to vote strategically. With ranked choice voting, more candidates can run without worrying about ‘splitting the vote,’ while voters can vote their conscience and elect candidates that they truly support. Burlington is bringing better, fairer representation to more elections.”

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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.