Americans have ample reason to be concerned about democracy these days, and worries about misinformation, voter access and more are common as the November election approaches. Even so, it’s also an exciting time for democracy. Efforts to make our elections more responsive to voters are gaining momentum, offering hope for a political system that better serves everyone.
Enter ranked choice voting — a simple, yet important reform that can make our elections fairer, more inclusive and more representative of the people’s will.
Ranked voting tackles one of the biggest problems in our current system: the limited choice voters face at the ballot box. In most U.S. elections, voters can only select one candidate per race, often choosing between just two major parties. Ranked voting, however, empowers voters to rank several candidates in order of preference — first choice, second choice, and so on.
In a race for a single position, like governor or mayor, if a candidate receives a majority of first choice rankings, they win. If not, the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated, and ballots for that candidate are redistributed to the voters’ next choice; i.e., if your first choice was the lowest-ranked, then your vote goes to your second-choice candidate. This “instant runoff” continues until one candidate wins a majority.
In multiwinner races, as for city councils or school boards, the process is similar. The only difference is that, instead of a simple majority to win, candidates must earn a specified percentage of votes. That percentage is based on how many seats are available in the race.
Importantly, this process is straightforward for voters: They simply rank candidates in order of preference. Counting of voter rankings is handled by election administrators using systems designed for ranked voting that are both secure and accurate.
Why make this change? Because the benefits of ranked voting are significant and timely.
No ‘wasted’ votes, negative campaigns
First, ranked voting ensures no vote is wasted. In traditional choose-one-candidate systems, voting for candidates who are unlikely to win can sometimes feel futile. Not with ranked voting.
If your first choice can’t win, your vote still counts toward your second-choice candidate, or possibly even your third or fourth choice depending on the breakdown of votes. The freedom to rank then frees voters to choose candidates they truly support, without worrying that their vote won’t matter or having to vote strategically for the lesser of two evils.
Ranked voting can also reduce negative campaigning. Traditional elections, where the goal is simply to capture the most votes, often incentivize candidates to tear down their opponents in a bid to be voters’ only choice. With ranked voting, however, candidates need to appeal beyond their core supporters to attract other voters who might rank them second or third. This encourages candidates to focus on the issues and broaden their appeal, instead of mudslinging.
Ranked voting also helps ensure that election outcomes are truly representative. In traditional elections, candidates can win without receiving a majority of the vote — a candidate can be elected even if most voters preferred someone else. Ranked voting fixes this, guaranteeing that the winners of all single-winner elections are the candidates who got the most votes and who represent the preferences of a majority of voters.
In multiwinner elections, the benefits are equally important. Traditional winner-take-all systems often leave minority groups — whether based on race, ethnicity or political ideology — without representation. Ranked voting, in contrast, helps ensure that minority communities have a fair shot at electing candidates who represent their interests. This encourages a more diverse and inclusive range of voices in government, including elected officials who reflect the values and concerns of communities long excluded from equal representation.
Relatedly, ranked voting opens the door to more diverse candidates, especially people of color and women.
More jurisdictions choose ranked voting
Traditional elections often discourage candidates with similar platforms from running, as they risk splitting the vote and handing victory to a candidate they consider less desirable. With ranked voting, this “spoiler effect” disappears, meaning more diverse candidates can run without fear of undermining the chances of other like-minded candidates; they can even work together to amplify their message and ensure their shared values are represented
Over 50 jurisdictions across the country, representing roughly 13 million Americans in 24 states, already use ranked voting in some or all of their elections. This includes military and overseas voters in six states, voters statewide in Maine and Alaska, and voters in major cities like Minneapolis, New York and San Francisco.
The results in these jurisdictions are clear: The overwhelming majority of voters find ranked voting easy to understand and want to keep using it. Evidence even shows that ranked voting can increase voter turnout — another essential factor in strengthening our democracy.
Moreover, the appetite for ranked voting keeps growing, as several states, including Illinois, have passed legislation allowing local jurisdictions to adopt ranked voting. In fact, Evanston voters approved a ranked voting referendum in 2022 that is set to take effect in April 2025.
Ranked voting offers a much-needed antidote to the division and distrust that permeates our politics today. It gives voters more choice, results in more diverse and representative election winners, and fosters a healthier political environment. To ensure that every voice is heard in the decisions that shape our future, ranked voting is a solution we can’t afford to ignore.
Alexandra Copper is legal counsel at Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group advancing democracy through law, where she litigates campaign finance, voting rights, and redistricting cases and serves as an expert on ranked choice voting and related electoral system reforms.
Trevor Potter is founder and president of Campaign Legal Center and a Republican former chair of the Federal Election Commission. He is a 2024 University of Chicago Center for Effective Government Democracy Fellow.
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The Democracy Solutions Project is a collaboration among the Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ and the University of Chicago’s Center for Effective Government, with funding support from the Pulitzer Center. Our goal is to help listeners and readers engage with the democratic functions in their lives and cast an informed ballot in the November 2024 election.
Want to know more about ranked choice voting? Check out the Democracy Reform Primers, a series by the Center for Effective Government in which expert scholars analyze and explain potential reform policies. Read the primer on ranked choice voting.