Ranked Choice Voting
As of the end of 2021, ranked choice voting is currently used in 41 jurisdictions (and counting) in the United States, as well as in many other countries around the world. Our 2016 and 2020 reports found that in municipalities using ranked choice voting women and people of color had better electoral outcomes.
Download our presentation below to understand how Ranked Choice Voting helps improve diverse representation or look through our Research page and "Women Winning" page for more information on how RCV helps women win and the data behind it.
https://representwomen.app.box.com/embed/s/l8937wdnh6swepepjxjdamyr5edmsjnu?sortColumn=date&view=list8005500
Our partners in this reform include: FairVote; American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Rep. Don Beyer (Va.); Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.)
Learn more about national, state and local legislation which promotes the adoption and implementation of ranked choice voting.
National Legislation
The Fair Representation Act (HR 3863): sponsored by Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA)
The Fair Representation Act (FRA) includes the use of ranked choice voting and multi-winner districts to elect members of the U.S. House of Representatives. To learn more about the benefits of the FRA look through our informational handout below.
The Congress Commission Act (HR 996): sponsored by Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
The Congress Commission Act creates a bipartisan Congressional Commission to Strengthen Representative Democracy which will analyze the current size of the House of Representatives, examine alternatives to the current method by which Members are elected, and study the impacts of gerrymandering.
State and Local Legislation
Many state and local legislatures are also considering the use of ranked choice voting for local and statewide elections. Learn more about local legislation you can support in our interactive map below.
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Watch and share RepresentWomen's video on how Ranked Choice Voting helps women.
Watch and share a RepresentWomen webinar on ranked choice voting from Summer 2020, featuring Michelle Whittaker (RepresentWomen Board Member), Cynthia Richie Terrell (RepresentWomen Executive Director), Courtney Lamendola (RepresentWomen Research Director), and Maura Reilly (Former RepresentWomen Outreach Coordinator).
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Read our executive summary for the 2020 report "In Ranked Choice Elections, Women WIN." Find out about our key findings, and links to relevant op-eds on the topic.
https://fairvote.app.box.com/embed/s/d623r7xvla8q56lcxpsslr45yakbryie?sortColumn=date&view=list5004000
Contacting your representative is an easy, free, yet effective way to call attention to something that matters to you, their constituents and voters. This can be especially effective when an elected official is up for reelection as they need the support to stay in their positions. Below are two ways you can contact them.
Not sure who your representative is? Click here to look them up using your zipcode!
Email your legislator
If you support the Fair Representation Act ask your representative to support the FRA, with our handy email template below.
If you support the Congress Commission Act ask your representative to support the legislation, with our handy email template below.
Congress Commission Act Template
Call your legislator
Call the Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121 to be connected to your congresspeople.
HELLO, my name is [name] and I’m a constituent from [city, state].
I am calling to urge [Representative/Senator name] to make women’s equal representation in government a reality by supporting reforms like the [legislation] that would help more women and people of color be elected to office. Fair representation is critical for a strong democracy, because it helps ensure that every vote counts, all voices are heard, and everyone has an equal opportunity to serve in elected office.
I am counting on [Representative/Senator name] to take action on this issue. After all, women are 51% of your constituency.
Thank you for your time.
If you are in the process of getting legislation on the ballot, look through previously successful ballot measures and learn how to write your own. For a complete list of previous ballot measures visit the RCV Resource Center. Learn how to write your own ballot measure through our sample from Benton County, OR below.
infogram_0_a19f1e8e-2fd8-4452-b95e-a0c073fa3ea4RCV Ballot Measure - Sample Languagehttps://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?jDstext/javascript
