The Honolulu Charter Review Commission voted 10-3 to refer ranked choice voting to the November ballot. If the measure passes, voters would use RCV to elect Honolulu’s mayor, City Council, and prosecuting attorney beginning in 2032.

Currently, Honolulu uses two-round nonpartisan elections. All candidates compete in a spring primary, and the top two candidates from the primary advance to the general election. However, if one candidate receives 50% or more of the primary vote, they are elected and the general election is cancelled. That means races are frequently decided in the primary, when turnout is lower and less representative. 

For instance, in Honolulu’s 2024 elections, the primary had 32% turnout – compared to 61% for the general election. Yet every local position – including the mayor, five Council seats, and prosecuting attorney – was determined in the low-turnout primary. 

Ranked choice voting would solve that problem, and make the general election the most important election. If there are five or fewer candidates – usually the case in Honolulu’s elections – all candidates would advance to the high-turnout general election in November. Voters would be able to rank candidates in order of preference; if no candidate received a majority of first-choice support, there would be an “instant runoff” to determine a majority winner.

Ranked choice voting would also be used in primary elections, with the top five advancing to November. If a primary field has more than five candidates – which is uncommon in Honolulu – ranked choice voting would give voters backup choices in case their top choice can’t advance.

Honolulu is Hawaii’s capital and largest city – home to nearly 70% of the state’s population. The most populous cities in six other states already use ranked choice voting in their elections. 

To learn more about ranked choice voting in the Aloha State, visit Common Cause Hawaii.

In July, the Irvine City Council voted to refer ranked choice voting to the November ballot. If the measure passes, Irvine will use RCV to elect its mayor and City Council members as early as 2028.

With Irvine’s current “choose-one” voting system, candidates can win crowded elections without a majority of the vote. In 2024, the city’s mayor was elected with 39% of the vote in a seven-candidate contest. In the same year, city councilors for Districts 1 and 2 each won five-candidate races with support from less than one-third of the electorate. With ranked choice voting, all candidates would enter office with majority support and a stronger mandate to lead.

Ranked choice voting would also give voters greater ability to express their preferences in Irvine’s crowded elections without playing “spoiler,” and reduce negative campaigning. In RCV elections, candidates are rewarded for finding common ground with their competitors – including seeking backup-choice support from voters ranking another candidate first on their ballot. 

Irvine is home to over 300,000 residents, making it the second-most populous city in Orange County and among the 100 most populous cities in the nation. Seven California cities – including San Francisco and Oakland – already use RCV.

To learn more about ranked choice voting in Irvine, visit Voter Choice Irvine.

The Longmont City Council voted 6-1 to put ranked choice voting on the November ballot. If the measure passes, RCV will be used in Longmont elections for mayor and City Council beginning in 2029. 

With Longmont’s current “choose-one” voting system, candidates can win crowded elections without a majority of the vote. Since 2023, there have been four municipal elections in Longmont where no candidate secured a majority of the vote. With ranked choice voting, candidates would enter office with majority support and a stronger mandate to lead.

Pending release of technical guidance from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office, Longmont would also implement multi-winner RCV – a form of proportional representation that ensures nearly all voters elect candidates of their choice. 

Longmont is home to over 100,000 residents, and has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the country in recent years. Five Colorado cities, including Boulder and Fort Collins, have already adopted RCV.

To learn more about RCV in Longmont, visit Ranked Choice Voting for Longmont.