As 2022 draws to a close, we at FairVote are absorbing an exciting reality: our featured proposal for better elections for all has become the single fastest-growing electoral reform in the nation.

Dear John, As 2022 draws to a close, we at FairVote are absorbing an exciting reality: our featured proposal for better elections for all has become the single fastest-growing electoral reform in the nation. Ranked choice voting (RCV) has had a remarkable year, from a string of ballot measure wins, key legislative advances, notable new uses and a growing national coalition of supporters. December has been another big month for RCV and an exciting finale to the year. We’re thrilled that right across the Potomac in Virginia, Arlington’s county board has decided to use ranked choice voting in its 2023 primaries, taking advantage of an RCV local options bill passed by the legislature in 2020. Moreover, Republicans in Virginia’s 4th congressional district and Democrats in several Pennsylvania state house districts used ranked choice voting to pick their nominees for special elections being held in the new year. RCV received great reviews from voters and party officials, allowing the parties to coalesce around nominees who most members can agree upon. In the states and in Congress, we’re hearing of a slew of new bills for RCV, creating the promise of 2023 being the biggest year yet for RCV in our legislatures. Ranked choice voting in the news Ranked choice voting continues to earn national, state, and local headlines. Recent hits have focused on the success of RCV elections around the country, and states like Georgia where the case for instant runoffs is especially clear. Here are some of our favorites: On the December 19th episode of PBS NewsHour, Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report says more ranked choice voting is at the top of her holiday wish list. Walter says RCV encourages candidates to reach beyond their base. Watch the clip at around ~35:40 in. The Washington Post editorial board endorsed the growing movement to adopt ranked choice voting in Georgia: “Mr. Raffensperger expresses openness to several reforms, including ranked-choice voting, something we support…. Georgia lawmakers allowed military and overseas voters to rank candidates on their first ballot. This worked well. Why not try such an ‘instant runoff’ for everyone?” The Anchorage Daily News celebrated how ranked choice voting is already improving politics in Alaska after just one election cycle: “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.” FairVote President Rob Richie wrote an article in The Fulcrum called “Ranked-choice voting was a winner on Election Day,” which was syndicated in newspapers across the country: “RCV is clearly ready to scale, just as it has become the norm in such nations as Australia and Ireland. Election officials can run RCV elections smoothly, transparently and with ever-growing ease. Voters are handling well-designed ballots well, and most cities with RCV produce preliminary counts quickly and complete their final tallies on the same timeline as with traditional voting.” The latest research FairVote's research team continues to study the effects of RCV on elections large and small. This month, Rachel Hutchinson analyzed how candidates who won their primaries with a plurality of the vote performed in the general election compared with those who won primaries with majority support. The findings were clear: majority winners in primaries do better than plurality winners. This adds to the burgeoning body of research that shows ranked choice voting primaries can help parties pick strong nominees and set them up for success in general elections. Thoughts from the CEO As our 30th anniversary year comes to a close and we turn to the promise of 2023, I’m truly inspired by all the energy and support received across this past year. Giving to FairVote and FairVote Action has grown a remarkable 50 percent, and we anticipate comparable growth next year. Your collective support for our reform vision allows us to have a FairVote team of more than 25 colleagues, an array of experienced consultants, and a growing coalition of national, state and local allies. My deepest gratitude to all of you who help with your time, talent and treasure! Thank you for a great year Our work on improving democracy is only possible thanks to your support. This month, we’re especially touched by a first-time donation we received from Jeff, a poll worker in Texas. Jeff already contributes to our democracy by doing crucial work at the polls, and has now gone an extra mile by contributing the money he made as a poll worker to the better elections movement. Thank you to Jeff and everyone else who has donated! Onwards to 2023! Ashley Houghton, Director of Communications PS: Many American towns are short on poll workers each election cycle, and need more workers like Jeff to make sure our democracy runs smoothly. To find out how to become a poll worker in your community, check out this info from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. © 2000 – 2022 FairVote. All Rights Reserved. Our mailing address is: 6930 Carroll Ave, Suite 240, Takoma Park, MD 20912 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list.