Skokie, IL adopts ranked choice voting

Voters in the Chicago suburb of Skokie, IL voted yesterday to adopt ranked choice voting (RCV). 58% of voters said YES to RCV in the citizen-initiated ballot measure; RCV will be used to elect the village’s mayor, clerk, and Board of Trustees starting in 2027. 

The vote for RCV in Skokie sends a clear message to local leaders about what their constituents want: more voice and more choice in their elections. Skokie joins 50+ cities, counties, and states now using RCV across the United States – up from just 10 cities and zero states in 2016. In these cities, campaigns are more positive, more women and people of color are running for office and winning, and voters feel their vote matters more. The benefits of RCV couldn’t be clearer!

With yesterday’s vote, Skokie joins two other Chicagoland cities that have voted to adopt ranked choice voting and make their elections better. Oak Park approved RCV by a 4-to-1 margin last November, and Evanston approved it in 2022. Chicago itself uses a delayed runoff system that could be made simpler, faster, and cheaper with a switch to RCV – a topic that was widely discussed in the Windy City during its last round of municipal elections.

There are also several bills in the Illinois legislature that, if passed, would allow greater use of RCV across the state (SB2004 and HB2431).

Congratulations to our friends at FairVote Illinois for a successful ballot measure campaign! To support RCV where you live, join an RCV group in your state today.