Oakland California voters can cast their ballots for up to three mayoral candidates, in a 15 candidate field, next week. Under the city's rare ranked-choice voting system, they select candidates in order of preference to allow for instant-runoffs if no candidate wins an outright majority. California uses this approach, all in the San Francisco Bay Area. They are San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro.
Other states who use ranked-choice voting are: Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota; Takoma Park, Maryland; Hendersonville, North Carolina; and Cambridge, Massachusetts.
WHY USE RANKED-CHOICE VOTING?
It reduces the number of elections, allowing voters to select backup choices instead of returning months later for a low-turnout runoff election. It allows people to cast ballots for preferred long-shot candidates without worrying about a spoiler effect. It allows voters to vote for favorite sons and daughters, vanity candidates, but not waste their vote.
HOW DOES IT AFFECT CAMPAIGNING?
Candidates can expand their voter outreach because even voters who are die-hard supporters of a rival can still choose someone else as a second and third choice. Supporters of the system say this also reduces negative campaigning so candidates avoid alienating other voters.
FairVote has helped introduce ranked choice voting, also called instant runoff voting, to elect mayors and city councilors in more than a dozen American cities.
Ranked-choice voting will have a wider reach this year.
Overseas voters in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and South Carolina will cast ranked choice voting ballots in all federal primaries that might go to a runoff, while thousands of overseas or out-of-state military voters from Louisiana this November will cast ranked-choice voting ballots in any of their November elections for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House that have more than two candidates. This sensible innovation protects the voting rights of thousands of our armed forces personnel, along with other voters overseas.
It also allows states to keep their runoffs closer to together, an important consideration for in-person voters, as FairVote's review of all federal runoffs over the past two decades shows a clear correlation between lower runoff turnout and longer runoff seasons.
Upcoming implementations
- Memphis, TN (adopted 2008; scheduled for 2015 for electing city council and other offices)
- Santa Fe, NM (adopted 2008; scheduled for 2016 for electing mayor and city council)
Sample Ballot with Rank-Choice Voting Format
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!
Michael H. Drucker
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