Ranked Choice Voting
Never waste your vote again.
Sometimes voting feels like playing in a rigged game.
While we want to vote with our hearts, under our current system we often feel stuck voting for lesser of two evils candidates and it seems like nothing ever changes.
But it doesn’t have to.
With Ranked Choice Voting, your vote is never wasted. Even if your top choice doesn’t win, your vote is transferred to your next preferred candidate, ensuring your voice always counts in the final outcome.
FIGHT FOR RCV
Ranked choice voting — AKA instant runoff voting — allows you to rank your favorite to least favorite candidates. You rank candidates in order of preference: first, second, third and so forth. Ballots that do not help your top choices win count for your next choice.
How does RCV work?
It’s up to us to win RCV!
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In our current “pick one” system, when there are more than two candidates running and you’re not sure your favorite has enough money or name recognition to win, you feel the pressure to abandon the candidate you really love to vote for a “front-runner” you like less instead to avoid “throwing your vote away.”
With ranked choice voting your vote is never wasted. If your favorite candidate lacks the support to win, your ballot automatically counts for your next choice. You can vote with your heart and your head at the same time.
Check out our Ranked Choice Voting Resource page for more materials to better understand RCV!
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We are pushing a Ranked Choice Voting bill in the House and in the Senate. The bill would give municipalities the option to use RCV in their municipal elections!
We’re also meeting with Philadelphia and Pittsburgh city councils to pass trigger bills so that when RCV is passed at the state level, it goes into effect immediately.
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There are many ways to get involved in our RCV campaign! Our statewide RCV team meets every other Wednesday at 7pm on zoom.
Fill out this form here to get started and scroll down to see our upcoming meetings!
Here are some ways you can get involved:
Talk to your state legislator and city council member about Ranked Choice Voting
Write Letters to the Editor about RCV
Distribute flyers, help organize a local RCV event, and talk to your neighbors about RCV!
Create social media content about RCV (videos, graphics, etc)
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As of November 2023, 50 American jurisdictions have RCV in place, reaching approximately 13 million voters.
This includes 2 states, 3 counties, and 45 cities, several of which are using the “gold standard” of proportional RCV. Military and overseas voters cast RCV ballots in federal runoff elections in 6 states.
Check out this map here to see where RCV is currently used!
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RCV means every vote counts and every voice is heard. Specifically, RCV ensures majority support, decreases toxic campaigning, increases voter engagement, minimizes ‘lesser of two evils’ voting, increases representation of women, and increases representation of people of color.
Upcoming events
Blogs
Millions of Americans will tune into the Academy Awards this Sunday, laughing along with Conan O’Brien and holding their breath to see which film takes home Hollywood’s most coveted prize: Best Picture. But beyond the glitz, the gowns, and the gossip, the way this award is decided is actually a fascinating lesson in democracy.