This was the biggest election ever for ranked choice voting.

Dear John, This was the biggest election ever for ranked choice voting. RCV won on the ballot in 8 places, and was used by hundreds of thousands of Americans in races up and down the ballot, including tight races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, an entire state legislature and big city mayor. Defenders of RCV will represent the majority in the Alaska state senate. RCV is on a clear path to becoming the norm, not the exception. In large parts of the country, voting equals ranking. Ranked choice voting WINS We knew shortly after the polls closed that ranked choice voting had won in Multnomah County, Oregon; Portland, Oregon; Portland, Maine; Ojai, California; Evanston, Illinois; and Fort Collins, Colorado. But in just the past few days, even more good news has rolled in. Voters approved top-5 primaries and ranked choice voting general elections statewide in Nevada! State law requires citizen-initiated constitutional amendments to pass twice to take effect, so RCV will need to win in Nevada again in 2024, but the wind is at its back. Ranked choice voting has also won in Seattle, the largest city in the Pacific Northwest! Voters were asked two questions: whether they want to change city elections, and whether they would prefer to use ranked choice voting or approval voting. Voters said YES to change and picked ranked choice voting over approval voting in a landslide. RCV also worked just as it is designed for voters in big elections. Alaska’s final RCV tallies will be reported next week, but an exit survey from Alaskans for Better Elections showed how easy voters found the process - favorites to win statewide reflect Alaskans’ independent approach to politics, with likely wins by Democrat Mary Peltola in the House race, moderate Republican Lisa Murkowski in the Senate race and conservative Republican Mike Dunleavy in the governor race. Mainers easily negotiated RCV yet again in confirming Jared Golden as the majority winner in the 2nd congressional district. Proportional ranked choice voting on the rise It was an especially good night for FairVote’s long standing goal of advancing proportional ranked choice voting - the gold standard for how to conduct legislative elections. Voters in Portland, Oregon adopted it for city council elections, and voters in Portland, Maine authorized their city council to adopt it. Simultaneously, elections in Albany and Palm Desert, California used proportional RCV for the first time. See FairVote’s analysis of how the system produced a more diverse Albany city council here. To learn more about how ranked choice voting fared in this election, we're excited to invite you to our upcoming town hall: “RCV From Coast to Coast: Maine and Alaska on 2022 Midterms.” Look out for a date and registration link in the coming weeks. The latest research Looking ahead to December, the Georgia Senate runoff is at the top of our minds because it perfectly makes the case for ranked choice voting. A new report by our research team exposes how runoff elections almost always have exorbitant costs to administer despite having lower turnout than the initial election; essentially, taxpayers are paying more for less. Here’s the good news: Georgia lawmakers have already taken steps to improve the process. Just last year, they passed a bill that sends ranked choice ballots to military and overseas voters upfront during the initial election. That way, these voters got to indicate which runoff candidate they prefer from the very start, without rushing to get a new runoff ballot shipped around the world before the deadline. Ranked choice voting allows more military and overseas votes to be counted. RESEARCH ON RUNOFFS Recounts are also back in the news, with several close races on a knife’s edge. Recounts can help increase trust in elections when they’re used sparingly, but don’t get your hopes too high about seeing the results change. Our research finds that recounts almost never change which candidate wins. RESEARCH ON RECOUNTS Ranked choice voting makes the news Throughout the campaign, newspapers and editorials hailed RCV’s ability to give voters better choices, incentivize positive campaigning, and de-polarize our politics. Here are some of our favorite hits: “Opinion: Election deniers aren’t the only threats to democracy this year,” CNN, November 1 "Ranked choice voting leads to more positive campaigns and greater participation as voters recognize that they aren’t wasting a vote given that their preferences may come into play, proponents argue." - Joshua A. Douglas “The candidates have had their say – now it’s Alaskans’ turn,” Anchorage Daily News, November 6 “We should be thankful, too, for the advent of Alaska's open primary and ranked choice voting system this year, which is already paying dividends in helping candidates run on their ideas rather than their adherence to political party orthodoxy.” - Anchorage Daily News Editorial Board “Bay Area should embrace ranked-choice voting movement,” Mercury News, November 16 Ranked choice voting "encourages voters to become better informed about a wider range of candidates. Ensuring that elected officials have the broadest range of support would benefit Santa Clara County and all Bay Area voters.” - Mercury News and East Bay Times Editorial Boards Thoughts from the CEO, Rob Richie When I helped found FairVote three decades ago, I was full of hope and determination. Yet I could not have imagined our circuitous path toward winning change nor how much our nation would change. Even as Americans face existential challenges, our two parties are more polarized than ever – and increasingly fearful of the other side. Winning power does not depend on most of us, but instead on a handful of voters in a scattering of states. We are increasingly far from the Congress envisioned by our founders where our leaders must listen to the people, represent our different views, and negotiate with an open mind to balance our interests with those of others. Yet I feel more hopeful than ever before. Voters are rejecting those who would undermine our democratic norms. Leaders from a mix of states and parties are coming together to pass the reforms we’ve argued for 30 years were the best way to heal and strengthen our democracy. Thanks to an exciting and growing reform coalition, ranked choice voting has become the fastest-growing electoral reform in the nation. We’re only getting started. By 2024, we seek to win RCV in 10 presidential primaries, to strengthen congressional relationships, to support reformers advancing RCV in states and more than 500 cities, and to engage with our nation’s top thought leaders and organizations as they coalesce around the need for RCV and our north star: the Fair Representation Act. This year we spent more than ever before - and the results speak for themselves. While heartened that so many new partners see our impact, our progress rests upon our loyal supporters. As we head into a time to give thanks and be with family, our entire team thanks you - and we make a promise of unyielding commitment to a democracy grounded in government truly of, by, and for the people. Thank you for your support. With your help, we can secure even more wins for voters in 2023! Sincerely, Deb Otis Director of Research As always, a special thank you to the generous donors who make our work for better elections possible. 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