Require the use of ranked choice voting in all federal elections
Currently most US elections use plurality voting — the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they receive less than a majority. Ranked choice voting (RCV) would allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives a majority, the last-place candidate is eliminated and their votes are redistributed to voters' second choices, repeating until one candidate has a majority.
Arguments For & Against
Pro Argument
Under plurality voting, the winner may not have majority support — they just need more votes than any single opponent. RCV ensures the winner has broader support. It also eliminates the 'spoiler effect' in which a third-party candidate takes votes from a major-party candidate, causing the opposing major-party candidate to win despite being less popular overall.
Con Argument
RCV is more complicated than simple plurality voting, costs more to implement, and delays the announcement of results. Voters and election officials accustomed to simple plurality voting would face a difficult transition.
Source document: Elections_Redistricting_Quaire041218.pdf
| Type | Organization | Date | Nat | Rep | Dem | Gap | Metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New PPC Survey (2026) | Program for Public Consultation | February 2026 | 66% | 64% | 70% | 6% | favor |
| Deliberative Survey | Program for Public Consultation | September 2021 | 61% | 49% | 73% | 24% | favor |
Program for Public Consultation — February 2026
Here is a proposal for how to conduct elections when there are three or more candidates, called 'rank choice voting.' Voters not only select their first choice but can also select their second choice. Then, if no candidate gets a majority, the one with the fewest votes is eliminated. Voters who favored the eliminated candidate then have their votes switched to their second choice. The tally is recalculated, and the candidate with a majority of votes wins. If there are more than three candidates, the process is repeated until a candidate gets a majority. Do you favor or oppose using ranked choice voting in all federal elections?
Program for Public Consultation — September 2021
Voters not only select their first choice but can also select their second choice of candidates. Then, if none of the candidates get a majority--like in a runoff--the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated. Voters who favored the eliminated candidate have their votes switched to their second choice (if they made one). The tally is then recalculated and the candidate with a majority of votes is the winner. If there are more than three candidates, the process is repeated until there is one candidate with a majority of votes counted.
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