The Benefits
Ranked Choice Voting already is used for municipal elections in 10 major cities in the United States, including Minneapolis, St. Paul, and St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The benefits these communities are experiencing include:
Saves taxpayers’ dollars and increases voter participation
Ranked Choice Voting eliminates costly low-turnout primaries by rolling them into the general election when turnout is higher and more diverse.
More voter choice
No candidate is weeded out prematurely in a low-turnout primary, providing voters with more diverse candidates and viewpoints all the way through the November election.
More inclusive and civil
Under RCV, candidates are rewarded for reaching beyond their base constituents to attract second choices. Winners must earn a majority of voter support and, once elected, they benefit from keeping and growing their coalition of supporters. Candidates are encouraged to stay focused on the issues and refrain from negative campaigning.
“Spoiler-free” elections
Ranked Choice Voting allows voters to support their favorite candidate without worrying they might throw their vote away or (worse) help elect the candidate they like the least.
Simpler voting that voters prefer
More than 90 percent of polled Minneapolis voters said that Ranked Choice Voting was easy to use and 85 percent want to continue using it, echoing RCV voters across the nation.