Ranked Choice Voting and Voter Turnout

With the rise of innovative voting systems like ranked choice voting (RCV) that give voters more choice and more voice, voter turnout could be seen as one metric for success. So, does RCV impact voter turnout? 

Evidence shows that RCV elections often generate relatively high turnout. For example, when New York City used RCV in its 2021 primaries, that election had its highest turnout in over 30 years.

Some research finds that RCV increases turnout while other research suggests it has little or no effect in local U.S. elections. Therefore at the least, RCV does not appear to decrease turnout. More important factors affecting turnout are whether there are competitive races on the ballot and whether the elections are in even-numbered years, according to researchers at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. 

When more people vote, our government — and our country — are stronger. When turnout is high, winners are more likely to reflect the will of the voting public and act on their wishes in government. Ultimately, voters have a greater say in the policies that affect their lives, and our government truly is “of, by, and for the people.” 

RCV allows more votes to “count” in a way that meaningfully impacts the results of the election. This should make participating sound more appealing than under a plurality system, where votes can become “wasted” or “spoiled.” By solving the “spoiler problem,” RCV may also encourage more candidates to run, giving voters more choices and therefore more reason to turnout.

Below, we outline the key scholarship on RCV and voter turnout. 

Studies on RCV and Voter Turnout

• Voters in RCV jurisdictions are 17% more likely to turn out for municipal elections than those in non-RCV jurisdictions, according to a 2024 study. The same study found that voters in RCV jurisdictions are more likely to be contacted by campaigns, an important measure of voter engagement.
• Youth turnout in RCV cities was higher than youth turnout in non-RCV cities, according to a 2021 study by researchers in Iowa and Wisconsin. They attribute the cause to greater campaign civility and mobilization and increased contact in RCV elections. 
• When compared to the primary and runoff elections they replace, RCV general elections are associated with a 10 point increase in voter turnout, according to a 2016 study by researchers at the University of Missouri in St. Louis. They found RCV did not affect inequities in turnout. 
• In 2018, San Francisco held a highly competitive special mayoral election at the same time as statewide primaries for governor and senator. More San Franciscans participated in the city’s RCV mayoral election than in non-RCV primaries at the top of the ballot, demonstrating that a competitive RCV election can drive turnout, according to FairVote’s analysis.
• Our analysis of RCV races in the six largest U.S. cities using RCV found stronger turnout in RCV races than those held before RCV implementation and compared to concurrent races in non-RCV cities. We did not control for other factors, such as competitiveness of races on the ballot, which could drive turnout.

Voting line image adapted from the original by Edin, Janine, and Jim under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.