2024 Battles Over RCV and Open Primaries

It’s been a Bad year for Advocates of Ranked-Choice-Voting (RCV) Reforms.

Legislatures in Five States Banned RCV Outright. Voters in Missouri Rejected current RCV, And Voters in: Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon, Rejected Referendums on Adopting the New System.

Only in the District of Columbia did a Majority Vote in favor of Adopting RCV, and Alaskans chose to keep RCV by a remarkably close 0.25% Margin.

Democratic Strategists and Funders behind this year’s push for RCV may be able to learn from the Losses. In Three of the Four Ballot Measure States, RCV Initiatives were combined with a Proposal for Open Primaries, flipping typical Supporters to Opponents. In Colorado and Nevada, where RCV was combined with Open Primaries, Progressive Groups joined the Opposition, and Business Interests flooded the Coffers of the PACs supporting the Rejection Measures.

The Pushback against RCV, which allows voters to Rank Candidates according to their Preference instead of choosing just One, is typically part of a larger Republican-Aligned effort to Restrict Voting Rights by limiting Voting-by-Mail, Banning Ballot Drop Boxes, and Raising the Threshold for Passage ofPpopular Ballot Initiatives.

MAGA Groups Oppose the Practice as likely to favor Democrats and Moderate Republicans over their Candidates. Indeed, “election integrity” Groups associated with Leonard Leo and Cleta Mitchell, have been attacking RCV Options, in their Larger sweep to Restrict Voting Rights, and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the Right-Wing Bill Mill, has Developed and Circulated model Legislation to Prohibit it.

“Special interests are pushing a novel and complicated election process called ranked-choice voting,” ALEC’s Model Bill states. The group contends that the alternative voting system creates “a conflict between local and state election processes,” a claim Legal Scholars Rebut. ALEC also highlights RCV as systematically Undermining the Nation’s Election Systems in its Annual “essential policy solutions” Report for 2025.

At ALEC’s Annual Meeting in 2023, the Custom hotel room keys featured Anti-RCV branding. Key Card Sponsors gain access to Lawmakers and VIP Eevents at the Conference.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker