Press Toolkit
Ashley Houghton, Communication's Director
email: ahoughton@fairvote.org
phone: 301-793-6604
How to describe ranked choice voting (RCV)
Ranked choice voting is an easy and effective reform that gives voters the power to rank their candidates in order of preference. It mimics an instant runoff. If a candidate earns a majority of first choices, they win, just like any other election. If not, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and his or her voter’s ballots are counted for their second choice. This process continues until a candidate wins a majority of votes.
How to describe FairVote
FairVote is a national non-partisan, nonprofit organization focused on electoral reforms, including ranked choice voting.
Stats for stories
- 13 cities and the state of Maine use ranked choice voting and seven additional cities are poised to use it in their upcoming election cycle - bringing the total number of states using ranked choice voting to 10
- 75% of voters in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District reported ranked choice voting was “somewhat” or “very” easy, according to an exit survey conducted with the Bangor Daily News
- Turnout increased 10 percentage points under ranked choice voting elections when used to replace primary and runoff elections, according to a 2016 study
- According to a 2016 study, “ranked choice voting (RCV) increases the likelihood that a woman will win local elective office and, importantly, increases the proportion of female candidates of color running and winning local elective office.”
- Voter turnout in ranked choice voting compared to two-round runoffs, 2016 study
- The effect of ranked choice voting on women and people of color in the Bay Area, FairVote 2016 report
- Voter impressions of campaign civility in RCV and non-RCV cities, brief from 2013 and 2014 Eagleton survey findings
- Voter understanding of ranked choice voting by race, gender and ethnicity vs other voting methods, 2019 paper
Influential supporters/Media coverage:
Editorial board support: The Economist, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe
David Brooks, New York Times columnist
Lee Drutman, New America senior fellow
“If we’re abolishing the Electoral College, let’s also have ranked choice voting for president”
Peter Fromouth, former State Department official
“Ranked Choice Voting is easier than it sounds. Maybe it would cure our awful politics”
Matthew Yglesias, Vox
“Proportional Representation Could Save America”
Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune columnist
“How Chicago voters could get a shot of ‘instant democracy’”
Interview an expert
Dave Daley, FairVote senior fellow, author of "Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America's Democracy"
Topics of expertise: Redistricting reform, gerrymandering
Drew Penrose, Law and Policy director:
Topics of expertise: Fair Representation Act, ranked choice voting, presidential elections, National Popular Vote, open vs. closed primaries
David O’Brien, staff attorney:
Topics of expertise: Recounts, redistricting and gerrymandering, voting rights, legislation
Pedro Hernandez, senior policy coordinator:
Topics of expertise: Voting rights, ranked choice voting in California
Erica Frazier, research manager:
Topics of expertise: ranked choice voting election data
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