States reject changes to how elections are administered
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Advocates had hoped ranked choice voting would be instituted in more states but were left disappointed last night. Only Washington, D.C. and some small municipalities approved its use.
Supporters of changing how states elect their leaders received a series of bitter blows on Election Day as voters in five states rejected ballot measures to do so, while another may be on course to do the same.
Only Washington, D.C., approved a shift to ranked choice voting, an approach that allows voters to list candidates in order of preference instead of selecting just one. The city also voted to abolish its closed primary system, beginning in 2026.
Other states did not follow D.C.’s change. Voters in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon all look to have rejected a shift to ranked-choice voting, with some votes still outstanding. Nevada’s decision was notable, as voters had approved of the plan in 2022 — it needed to win a second time to be added to the state constitution. The ballot measures in Colorado, Idaho and Nevada would also have implemented open primaries. And Arizonans and South Dakotans rejected plans to implement open primaries.
Meanwhile, Missouri approved a ballot initiative to ban ranked choice voting statewide, joining Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma in doing so. Alaska, which implemented ranked choice voting in 2022 and is only one of two states to use it — Maine is the other — looks on track to repeal it.
The approach is supposed to reduce political polarization and make elections more competitive.
Despite the crushing losses, supporters of ranked choice voting said they still see a path forward. In a statement, FairVote, a nonpartisan organization that works for voting reform, noted that the state ballot initiatives are doing well in areas where voters already are used to ranked choice voting, especially in parts of Oregon and in Alaska, where it is outperforming other ballot measures.
Ranked choice voting was also approved by voters in Oak Park, Illinois, and Bloomington, Minnesota, as well as in Peoria, Illinois, in a non-binding advisory measure. A measure in Richmond, California, also might pass but may not be implemented if a competing measure passes by a larger margin.
“We’ll continue to see ranked choice voting deliver in the cities and states where it’s used, and we also have to make a stronger case on how RCV benefits voters and elected officials alike,” Meredith Sumpter, president and CEO of FairVote, said in a statement. “The data is on our side, and the reform will continue to grow because it works — empowering voters, rewarding candidates who can deliver for the majority of their constituents, and making our democracy work better for the American people.”
Political leaders applauded the voters’ rejection of ranked choice voting. Idaho Gov. Brad Little, a Republican who opposed the ballot proposition, said it “does not promote clear voting practices, voter participation, or election confidence.”
“My top priority will continue to be ensuring Idahoans have trust and confidence in our election system,” he continued in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Advocates appear to be placing more emphasis on their wins in municipal and local elections. FairVote said ranked choice voting has now prevailed in 30 city ballot measures in a row, including last night’s triumph in Washington, D.C. Fifty-two cities, counties and states with nearly 17 million people now use the system.
In a separate statement, Sumpter said the victory in D.C. is “an amazing testament to D.C. voters turning their frustration with today’s politics into real progress.”
And Nick Troiano, executive director of Unite America, a philanthropic venture fund that says it invests in “nonpartisan election reform,” said in a statement that the vote in D.C. means “tax-paying citizens in the District will no longer be denied the right to vote in the most consequential elections. And politicians will have to earn a majority vote to win.”
Others believe the movement has had its chance, however. In a post on X, Sean Noble, president of free market think tank American Encore, said the results show that ranked choice voting is “dead.”
Sumpter, however, refused to be cowed by these latest setbacks.
“Changing the status quo is never easy,” she said. “Entrenched interests — including several state parties and an increasingly well-organized national opposition — pushed back hard on this year’s statewide ballot measures. But make no mistake: The future remains bright for ranked choice voting. Ranked choice voting was used in only 10 cities and zero states in 2016, and has now grown to over 50 cities, counties, and states home to nearly 17 million people.”
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