Ranked choice voting in the Virgin IslandsAlthough the Republican presidential primary is down to just two major candidates, the Virgin Islands caucus ballot will include the names of candidates who have already dropped out. In states with choose-one primaries, many voters “waste” their vote on such a candidate – 700,000 Republicans cast these “zombie votes” in 2016, and 3 million Democrats did so in 2020. RCV solves this problem and makes more votes count: If a voter’s 1st-choice candidate drops out, their vote simply counts for their second choice. RCV is a big win for voters and candidates alike! More candidates can stay in the race instead of being pressured to drop out before the vast majority of voters have a chance to weigh in! Voters can safely rank their favorite candidate first, knowing their vote will still count for a backup choice if their top choice can’t win. RCV strengthens party nominees by rewarding candidates who reach out to more voters and make fewer personal attacks on fellow candidates. Both major parties have a history of success with RCV for nominations, including Republicans using it to nominate their statewide ticket in Virginia in 2021. Those nominees swept all three seats, led by now-Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Wondering when to expect results? The Virgin Islands Republican caucus RCV count should be released shortly after ballots have been collected from all three voting sites (one on each major island), with the results shared around 7:30 p.m. Atlantic (6:30 Eastern) on Feb. 8. FairVote will post an analysis of the results, so keep an eye on our website Thursday night! | 
