Ranked choice voting in 2025: a year in review
This report provides an overview of ranked choice voting (RCV) in 2025, including major RCV elections, new adoptions, and the latest research and media coverage.
Read the full report below.
Highlights from the report include:
- 18 cities and counties — home to 11 million Americans — held RCV elections in 2025. These contests produced record voter turnout and prominent “cross-endorsements” in New York City; increased turnout and voter power in Minnesota, Colorado, and New Mexico; the first-ever majority-women City Council in Salt Lake City, UT; and the first woman mayor in St. Paul, MN.
- Charlottesville, VA; Fort Collins, CO; and Redondo Beach, CA used RCV for the first time.
- New surveys from New York, California, Colorado, Virginia, and New Mexico show that voters who use RCV like it and want to keep using it.
- Voters in Skokie, IL and Greenbelt, MD voted for the proportional form of RCV for local elections. Local lawmakers advanced RCV legislation in Boston, MA; Washington, DC; and Arlington, VA.
- Research published in 2025 highlights RCV’s positive impact on campaigning and representation. RCV was also endorsed by prominent organizations, including the American Bar Association’s Task Force for Democracy.
- RCV received unprecedented national media attention. Cross-endorsements in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary were covered extensively, including on MSNBC, CNN, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
- The gerrymandering wars increased public discussion of election reforms, including proportional representation and the Fair Representation Act.
- These developments position RCV to be prominent in discussions about the 2026 midterms, with crowded primaries and vote-splitting expected in many key congressional and statewide races. Competitive, high-profile RCV races are expected in Alaska, Maine, and Washington, DC — where voters will use RCV for the first time.
