Tag: ranked choice voting
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Maine Supreme Court says bill expanding ranked-choice voting is unconstitutional
On April 6, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled that a bill expanding ranked-choice voting (RCV) to general elections for governor and the state Legislature would violate the state’s constitution. Maine currently uses RCV in elections for Congress and president, as well as presidential primaries and primaries for governor and the state legislature. In 2016,…
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Ohio becomes second state this year to ban ranked-choice voting
On March 17, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed a bill making Ohio the 19th state to ban ranked-choice voting (RCV). Ohio is the second state to enact a prohibition on RCV this year, after Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) signed a ban in February. In 2025, six states enacted legislation prohibiting RCV. Six states also…
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Maine legislators weigh expanding state's ranked-choice voting system
On Feb. 10, Maine legislators approved a bill requiring the use of ranked-choice voting to elect the governor and members of the state legislature. Before advancing the legislation to Gov. Janet Mills (D), the legislature is waiting for advice from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. In the ranked-choice voting system currently used in Maine, a…
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Alaska's federal elections are using ranked-choice voting (RCV) for the third consecutive cycle
On January 12, 2026, former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola (D) announced her campaign for U.S. Senate against incumbent Dan Sullivan (R). With Peltola’s entry into the race, we’re taking a look at Alaska’s use of ranked-choice voting (RCV) since its adoption in 2020 and how it's played out in other statewide elections. Peltola was first…
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Signatures submitted for ballot initiative to repeal Alaska’s top-four ranked-choice voting system; would be the state's third ballot measure on RCV
In Alaska, Repeal Now, an organization supporting an effort to repeal the state's ranked-choice voting system, submitted 48,000 signatures to the Division of Elections on Nov. 6, 2025. At least 34,098 signatures must be found valid to appear on the ballot. The initiative would eliminate the state's top-four ranked-choice voting (RCV) system, which combines top-four…
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Iowa Gov. Reynolds signs bill banning RCV
On June 2, 2025, Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed HF 954, making Iowa the sixth state to ban ranked-choice voting (RCV) this year. The new law says: “An election in this state shall not be conducted using ranked choice voting or instant runoff voting.” The bill also makes other changes to election laws in the…
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First ranked-choice voting ballot measure of 2025 to be decided in Skokie, Illinois, on April 1
Voters in Skokie, Illinois, will decide on a ballot initiative to adopt ranked-choice voting (RCV) for municipal elections on April 1. This will be the first RCV-related ballot measure decided in 2025. Since 1915, there have been more than 150 ballot measures to adopt or repeal ranked-choice voting systems. Ashtabula, Ohio, was the first jurisdiction…
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Looking ahead at 2025 ranked-choice voting legislation
More bills pre-filed or carried over to 2025 legislative sessions would adopt ranked-choice voting (RCV) than would ban it, but their path to becoming law remains uncertain. Ranked-choice voting was one of the hottest election policy topics of 2024, both in state legislative sessions and on voters’ ballots. Six states banned RCV, more than in…
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D.C. voters will decide on ranked-choice voting initiative in November
The D.C. Board of Elections voted unanimously on Aug. 2 to send Initiative 83 to the Nov. 5 ballot to allow voters to decide on whether to create a semi-open primary system allowing voters who are unaffiliated with a political party to vote in a party primary election and establish ranked-choice voting for elections in…
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New laws related to ranked-choice voting and youth voting among six new approved election bills in Colorado
Colorado lawmakers adopted six election-related bills during the 2024 regular session of the Colorado General Assembly. Included among the approved legislation was an omnibus bill that changed a number of areas of election law and created new requirements related to the adoption of ranked-choice voting (RCV), as well as bills related to voting in detention centers,…