New Bay Area ranked choice voting system worked, should be California model Jan 14, 2023 State’s small cities should take note of November success in Albany’s multi-seat City Council race Albany Mayor Aaron Tiedemann penned an op-ed about the city's successful first election using Proportional Ranked Choice Voting: "Our city just elected two City Council members using a voting system new to California. The process provides a model for small cities across the state that want to diversify their governing boards without carving up their communities into tiny voting districts." Read the full article at https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/01/14/opinion-new-ranked-choice-voting-system-worked-should-be-california-model/ All News & Updates

Voter Turnout Flounders in Sacramento Primaries Nov 28, 2023 "Sacramento, California has a voter turnout problem. Turnout in its primaries is much lower than in its general elections, and the primary electorate is less representative of Sacramento’s population – underrepresenting young voters and renters. Sacramento could join other California cities, and solve this problem by consolidating its elections into a single, high-turnout contest with ranked choice voting." Our friends at FairVote published new research on the voter turnout gap in Sacramento's primaries at https://fairvote.org/voter-turnout-flounders-in-sacramento-primaries/ Learn more about the efforts to fix this primary problem using Ranked Choice Voting at http://www.betterballotsacramento.org/ All News & Updates

New developments in SF Supervisor races and a Defense of Ranked Choice Voting Sep 6, 2023 "I can’t write about San Francisco’s upcoming races without defending ranked choice voting (RCV). RCV is getting a lot of unfair criticism. I’d like to set the record straight." -- Randy Shaw, editor of BeyondChron "RCV replaced a system of low-turnout runoff elections. These turnouts were disproportionately decided by white homeowners. RCV is far more democratic. It also saves cities the cost of operating low-turnout runoff elections. The big rap against RCV by supporters of losing candidates? It’s too “confusing.” They point to seemingly odd RCV results—-like a candidate whose voters forego second place choices (See Ignacio de la Fuente, 2022 Oakland mayor’s race) or who send second place votes to a candidate of a different ideology (Nancy Tung voters went to Chesa Boudin over Suzy Loftus in San Francisco’s 2019 District Attorney’s race). But these outcomes made sense. de la Fuente drew votes heavily from those who only cared about him. Tung voters were angry at Mayor Breed for appointing Loftus to the temporary DA post and did not want to give Loftus their second place votes. I understand why people blame “confusion” instead of a campaign’s failure to strategically attract ranked choice votes. But candidates lacking a winning RCV strategy have only themselves to blame." Read the full article at https://beyondchron.org/new-developments-in-sf-supervisor-races/ All News & Updates

Case Studies: RCV in Maine and Alaska Oct 6, 2024 With RCV on the ballot in several more states this November, it’s a good chance to compare how it works in each state and look at how it has affected election outcomes. Maine and Alaska are the first two US states to use Ranked Choice Voting. With RCV on the ballot in several more states this November, it’s a good chance to compare how the system works in each state and how it has affected election outcomes thus far. RCV first came to Maine when the City of Portland adopted the method in 2011. The election of controversial Governor Paul LePage with less than a majority vote twice (with only 38% in 2010) led to the push for RCV statewide. Maine adopted RCV in 2016 through a citizens’ petition and ballot measure. Because the state constitution explicitly requires that state offices be won with a plurality, Maine only uses RCV in its partisan primaries for governor, state senator, and state representative, and in both partisan primaries and general elections for US senator, US representative, and US president. Voters also approved RCV by ballot measure in Alaska, which passed with 50.5% of the vote in 2020. Measure Two included the switch from partisan (closed) primaries to an open primary, with the top four candidates moving to the general election conducted using RCV. This offers a contrast to Maine’s system where the winner of each party’s primary face each other in November. Maine has a longer history of RCV elections than Alaska. In the 2018 party primaries, only two races needed more than a single round of voting to decide the winner and in both cases, the plurality winner was also the majority winner. In the 2018 general election, 16 of the 17 races with more than two candidates were not closely competitive, and the winner received a majority of first-choice votes. The race for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District in 2018 was one where RCV resulted in an ultimate winner who did not win a plurality in the first round. Sitting Representative Poliquin (R) received 46.3% over Golden (D) with 45.6%, and independents Bond and Hoar with 5.7% and 2.4%, respectively. More voters for these independent candidates preferred Golden as their 2nd of 3rd choice and he won in the final round with 50.6%. In 2020 Maine’s nine primary races and 10 general elections had more than two candidates and offered ranked ballots. In 13 races a majority winner was reached in the first round of RCV and in the rest the plurality winner consolidated their lead in subsequent rounds and won a majority. The same was true in 2022, with only four contests needing to go to subsequent rounds with no change in the first-place winner. Alaska’s primary and general elections in 2022 and the 2024 primaries are the only statewide races that have used RCV to date. In all the 2022 statewide elections, the leader in the primary won in the general election, but the open primary led to somewhat surprising results. In the Senate race three Republicans and one Democrat went to the general election. Sen. Lisa Murkowski narrowly led with 43.4% over Kelly Tshibaka’s (R) 42.6% in the first round. The fourth-place Republican’s votes went mostly to Tshibaka, but Democrat Pat Chesbro’s voters preference for Murkowski gave her the majority with 54%. In the 2022 race for Alaska’s sole U.S. House seat one Democrat, Mary Peltola, two Republicans, Sarah Palin’s and Nick Beggich, and a Libertarian (Chris Bye) advanced to the general election. Peltola won the first round with 48.8% ahead of Palin in second with 25.7%. In the second round Peltola gained 49.2%. Even though most of Beggich’s voters preferred Palin, 7,500 of them voted for Peltola and gave her the majority with 55%. In the 2024 open primary, Peltola won an outright majority with 51% of the vote, but third-place finisher Nancy Dahlstrom (20%) has withdrawn and endorsed her Beggich who came in second with 27%. In both Maine and Alaska, RCV doesn’t typically lead to a change from the plurality winner to the winner of the final vote. Where it has affected the outcome, the result was the more centrist candidate who garnered enough support to win the majority in the final round. All News & Updates

Cal RCV & Level Up California Co-Host Panel Discussion with Andrew Yang, Rob Richie, and Maria Perez Feb 9, 2022 Andrew Yang, Rob Richie, and Maria Perez joined moderator Tom Charron of the California RCV Coalition to discuss the state of voting in California and our nation as a whole. On Wednesday, February 9th, our panelists joined moderator Tom Charron of the California RCV Coalition to discuss the state of voting in California and our nation as a whole. Ranked Choice Voting provides a unique opportunity to increase voter choice at the ballot box and discourage the divisive political practices that have become standard in American politics. Our three panelists have unique insight into the problems with our current elections system and a passion for solving the crisis of America's ever-deepening political divide. Watch the event on YouTube: 00:00 - Intro 07:30 - Intro to RCV & impact on candidates running for office 31:30 - RCV from voters' point of view 40:53 - More benefits, including cost savings 47:45 - The impact of RCV in California cities so far 59:01 - Increased representation of minority voices 1:04:09 - Multi-winner RCV to achieve proportional representation 1:17:10 - How RCV can be adopted at the statewide level in California 1:25:50 - How multi-winner RCV can help ensure voting rights Andrew Yang is an author, former presidential candidate, and non-profit founder. In 2021, Yang founded the Forward Party PAC , which has a focus on electoral reform. Rob Richie is the co-founder and CEO of FairVote , a non-profit advancing Ranked Choice Voting and Proportional Representation across the United States. He is a frequent contributor to publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Maria Perez is Co-Founder and Co-Director of Democracy Rising , an organization that promotes democratic engagement and representative, accountable leadership. Perez previously served as FairVote's New Mexico director. All News & Updates

Redistricting, Proportional Representation and LA Charter Reform Sep 29, 2025 Beyond Maps: How LA Could Make Every Vote Count Beyond Maps: How LA Could Make Every Vote Count Winner-take-all districts silence too many Angelenos. This op-ed breaks down proposals to expand the council and adopt PRCV—showing how multi-seat districts can turn 80–90% of votes into representation and curb zero-sum politics. Dive into the details ➜ https://www.citywatchla.com/state-watch/31585-redistricting-proportional-representation-and-la-charter-reform All News & Updates

Does Ranked Choice Voting Increase Voter Turnout and Mobilization Sep 6, 2024 While critics of RCV complain that it confuses and somehow disenfranchises voters, a recent research paper found significant and substantially higher probabilities of turnout in places that use RCV. In a 2021 study, researchers from the RCV Resource Center, University of California, Davis, the University of Iowa, and Western Washington University examined voting behavior in over 10,000 cities. Controlling for various factors, they discovered that people in jurisdictions with RCV were more likely to vote . Voter participation in RCV areas was 12.8%, compared to 10.6% nationally—a 17% increase. This increase is notable, considering the 24% difference in voter participation between states with the most and least restrictive voting laws. Why the increase? Previous research suggests RCV leads to more civility and less negative campaigning. Candidates in RCV races report more positive campaigning and voter outreach efforts. Additionally, newspaper articles about RCV elections tend to be more positive. This study further explored RCV's impact on voter outreach. Using two national surveys, they found that voters in RCV cities were more likely to be contacted by campaigns, particularly through in-person visits, mail, and email. This suggests that RCV campaigns may favor more personalized outreach methods. You can read the complete study here: Does Ranked Choice Voting Increase Voter Turnout and Mobilization? - ScienceDirect All News & Updates

New National Deliberative Poll Shows Bipartisan Support for Polarizing Issues Affecting American Democracy Aug 10, 2023 Stanford Professor Larry Diamond: One of the biggest takeaways was the consistent majority support for Ranked Choice Voting in all of its different potential applications. After deliberating, majorities of our sample consistently supported the use of RCV for all kinds of elections — local, state, and national, and in both primaries and in general elections. ""America in One Room: Democratic Reform" polled participants before and after deliberation to gauge their opinions on democratic reform initiatives, including voter access and voting protections, non-partisan election administration, protecting against election interference, Supreme Court reform, and more. The results show many significant changes toward bipartisan agreement, even on the most contentious issues." Read the News Release and pages 5-6 of the Executive Summary for specifics on the 600 participants' views on RCV. Read the full Deliberative Poll results All News & Updates

64 percent of voters in Santa Clara County support ranked choice voting in poll Feb 5, 2024 A new EMC Research poll finds that 64% of likely 2024 voters in Santa Clara County support using ranked choice voting (RCV) in countywide and local elections. This represents significant growth in support since 54% of county voters voted for RCV in county elections by approving Measure F in 1998. A new EMC Research poll finds that 64% of likely 2024 voters in Santa Clara County support using Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in countywide and local elections. This represents significant growth in support since 54% of county voters voted for RCV in county elections by approving Measure F in 1998 . Read the poll memo Even before hearing any explanation of Ranked Choice Voting, 56% of poll respondents supported using RCV to elect countywide officials like the Board of Supervisors. After hearing a brief explanation of how RCV works, that support increased to 64%. Large majorities of voters in Mountain View (70%), San Jose (63%), and Sunnyvale (70%) also want to use RCV to elect their cities’ officials. “Voters from across Santa Clara County want ranked choice voting because they know it will give them better representation, less toxic politics, and more choices on the ballot,” said California RCV Institute Executive Director Marcela Miranda-Caballero. “This poll proves that support for ranked choice voting has only grown in Santa Clara County since residents here first voted to adopt it 25 years ago. Ranked choice voting is already making elections better in several cities across California. The Board of Supervisors should listen to the people and bring RCV to Santa Clara County.” One of the most notable benefits of RCV is increased representation of historically underrepresented communities. Notably, 68% of poll respondents who request a Spanish-language ballot when they vote said they support the use of RCV in countywide elections before hearing an explanation. That support jumps to 73% after respondents hear the explanation. Ranked choice voting (RCV) is a simple reform that can lead to significant benefits for our cities, state, and country. RCV lets you rank candidates 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on instead of being forced to choose just one candidate. If your first choice can’t win, your vote automatically counts for your second choice. It's a commonsense upgrade from the broken single-choice voting approach that favors entrenched interests and underlies so much political dysfunction. Read EMC Research's poll memo for more details. The poll was conducted online and by phone from Dec 7-17, 2023 and included 400 likely voters countywide. The overall margin of error is 4.9 percentage points. All News & Updates

California Senate passes bill allowing Ranked Choice Voting in Santa Clara County Sep 5, 2023 Ongoing effort by Cal RCV and partners pays off as AB 1227 passes 31-7 Cal RCV and its coalition partners FairVote and CfER have been working together to complete a project CfER started in November 1997 to bring Ranked Choice Voting to the 2 million people of Santa Clara County. The people of Santa Clara voted for RCV, however, there have been questions raised by the county's counsel about whether the county can choose to move to RCV, even though Santa Clara County is a charter county. Assembly Bill 1227 clarifies that Santa Clara County can indeed adopt RCV as a charter county, and on September 5, 2023, the bill passed the California Senate, 31-7. The bill passed the Assembly earlier in the year with bipartisan support: 57 Democrats and 10 Republicans in favor, 0 against, 13 no vote recorded. From the AB 1227 fact sheet: PROBLEM In November 1998, Santa Clara County voters passed Measure F, with 53.9% voting in favor, to allow the use of instant runoff voting in the county when the technology became available. Instant runoff voting is another name for RCV. Although the County’s voting machines now have the capability to conduct RCV elections, the County’s Board of Supervisors would like clarity in state law that gives Santa Clara County, a charter county, control over the method of electing their county officers. SOLUTION AB 1227 allows the people’s vote to be implemented in Santa Clara County by giving authority to the County Board of Supervisors to adopt a proposal to elect county officers by RCV. All News & Updates

Douglas Schoen: America’s primary system needs reform Apr 27, 2023 Douglas Schoen recommends Ranked Choice Voting in op-ed "Ranked choice voting – which some states and localities have already adopted – would be a starting point. This is a more democratic and representative system because it allows voters to rank candidates in an election, rather than select only one, thereby ensuring that no candidate is able to win their party’s nomination without being ranked by a majority of voters. This system incentivizes consensus-building, discourages negative campaigns, and forces candidates to campaign by appealing to the broadest majority of voters, not just their base." Read the full op-ed at https://www.ocregister.com/2023/04/27/douglas-schoen-americas-primary-system-needs-reform/ All News & Updates

Impact of Ranked Choice Voting on Representation Sep 15, 2017 National nonprofits that study electoral reform find that "RCV increases descriptive representation for women, people of color, and women of color." Key Findings from the report: More women and people of color in elected office. Since the introduction of RCV, women have won more than 40% of all contests, women of color have won almost a quarter of all contests and people of color have won 60 percent. People of color now hold 13 of the 18 seats in San Francisco elected by RCV, which is up from eight seats before RCV was adopted (although down from 15 of 18 seats after the 2010 RCV elections). Women won nine of 11 open seats in RCV elections in 2014, and, in Oakland, have gone from holding 10 seats after the 2008 elections to 13 seats today. More women and people of color are running and winning. In cities that introduced RCV, the percentage of candidates and winners among women, people of color, and women of color increased more (or declined less) than it did in a comparison group of similar cities that did not adopt RCV. Increase in the proportion of women in elected office. Our study of the effects of RCV shows that the introduction of RCV in California led to an increase in the proportion of women, and especially women of color, winning local political office. Increase in the percentage of people of color and women of color. RCV led to an increase in the percent of city council candidates who are people of color and women of color. These findings are robust and statistically significant. Our study controls for the impact of socio-economic factors (like educational attainment and the racial composition of the city), political factors (like partisanship and voter turnout), as well as electoral factors (incumbency and the use of term limits, and public financing). Read the 2-page brief or full report from FairVote & RepresentWomen. All News & Updates