June was the biggest month yet for ranked choice voting this year!

DEAR {{SMARTNAME}},

June was the biggest month yet for ranked choice voting (RCV) this year. We’re
thrilled to share these exciting updates with you: * Oregon’s legislature PASSED a bill to place statewide ranked choice voting on
the November 2024 ballot!
* Arlington, Virginia used proportional RCV in its Democratic County Board
primary, and proved that the method gives more voters real representation!
* America’s largest city, New
York, used RCV for the second time!

Read on to learn more about these historic wins.




RCV might soon come to Oregon

On thefinal dayof its session, Oregon’s legislature referred a ranked choice
voting measure to the 2024 ballot. This is the most significant step ever taken
by a state legislature to advance RCV.

“Ranked choice voting will give voters more choice, encourage voter engagement,
and strengthen our democracy by improving people’s perception of elections and
election outcomes. House Bill 2004 would make sure people in power are elected
by a true 50% majority.” – Oregon State House Speaker Dan Rayfield

If the measure passes, Oregon will become the largest state to use RCV in all
statewide and federal elections (both primary and general)! The ballot measure
would also:

* establish a “local option” for cities and counties choosing to adopt ranked
choice voting;

* provide local jurisdictions with tools and resources to ensure standardized
implementation of ranked choice elections;
* and create a statewide education campaign to ensure voters across all
demographics understand how to use ranked choice ballots.

Oregon’s measure joins another already on the docket for November 2024 – one for
top-five primaries and RCV general elections in Nevada. Together, these two
states are home to more than seven million people, and passing the measures
would be one of the largest expansions of RCV in history!

We have good reason to hope that both measures will pass. Nevadans already voted
in favor of RCV just last year (Nevada requires constitutional amendments to
pass twice before taking effect), and four Beaver State jurisdictions have
already adopted RCV: its largest city (Portland) and its largest county
(Multnomah), as well as the city of Corvallis and Benton County.

FairVote Action is proud to support the work ofOregon Ranked Choice Voting, the
Coalition of Communities of Color, and others who have made ranked choice voting
a priority in Oregon.




Arlington proves that proportional RCV leads to reflective outcomes


On Tuesday, June 20, Arlington became the first Virginia jurisdiction to use
proportional RCVin a government-run election – its Democratic primary for County
Board. The voting system ensured a representative outcome and that a vast
majority of voters were able to help nominate a candidate they support. Six
candidates ran for the two seats, and voters could rank up to three candidates.

Arlington Democrats selected Susan Cunningham and Maureen Coffey as their
nominees, making them general election favorites in the heavily Democratic
county. Both candidates had strong showings among voters’ first choices, and
also earned significant second- and third-choice support. 84% of voters ranked a
winning candidate first, second, or third on their ballot. By comparison, only
45% of voters voted for a winning candidate in the last similar County Board
primary.

Moreover, the outcome accurately mirrored the ideological breakdown of Arlington
Democrats. On housing policy – the most salient issue of the race, and one that
appears to divide Arlingtonians roughly 50-50 – one candidate representing each
side of the debate was nominated. RCV does not favor any policy preference, but
it does ensure voters’ preferences are well-represented by the candidates they
elect.

It's clear that more Virginia communities would benefit from adopting RCV.
SupportUpVote Virginiato expand RCV across the Commonwealth!




New York shows that RCV is simple and makes campaigns more positive

This Tuesday was a quiet, no-drama day at the polls in New York City asvoters
selectedtheir City Council candidates. Voting ran smoothly, with RCV clearly
becoming part of the fabric of NYC’s elections in just its second use.

Most City Council primaries were uncontested, or saw a candidate win with a
clear majority of voters’ first choices. However, at least two close,
multi-candidate races will be decided by ranked choice voting tabulation, as no
candidate received a majority of voters’ first choices. Those are the Democratic
primary for Council District 19 and the Republican primary for Council District
13.

The city council elections featured heartfelt, joyous moments showing how RCV
can foster more positive campaigning. In Council District 9, for instance, Yusef
Salaam (now the likely nominee) and his opponent Al Taylorjokedabout who voters
should rank Number 1 as they stood outside the polls in Harlem. Salaam and
Taylor had previouslycross-endorsedeach other, encouraging voters to rank them
first and second because of their shared policy platforms.

We're grateful for the workCommon Cause New Yorkhas done to bring RCV to the Big
Apple!




How you can help the movement

None of this progress for RCV would have been possible without your support. To
make joining the RCV movement easier than ever before, we’re excited to unveil
our newWins and Opportunitiespage, which highlights the movement’s latest
victories and ways you can take action.

Let's keep these wins coming! Hope that you and yours have a wonderful 4th of
July!

Ashley Houghton

Senior Director of Programs and Policy

Donate Today Copyright © 2023 FairVote Action, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
8484 Georgia Ave, Suite 240, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can unsubscribe from this list.