Ranked choice voting is spreading, but not in San Diego
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Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Over the last eight years, ranked choice voting has exploded across the U.S. — seven times more people live in areas using RCV now than in 2016, according to nonpartisan research nonprofit FairVote.
Why it matters: The system has been adopted in both deep red and deep blue areas, with supporters touting research that suggests it can increase turnout and improve representation for women and people of color.
Yes, but: San Diego hasn't jumped on the bandwagon, after attempts to put a measure on the ballot in 2018, 2020 and 2022 couldn't win City Council approval.
- RCV backers said in 2022 they'd aimed to build council support in hopes of reaching the ballot in 2024, but a proposal never came to the city's rules committee.
How it works: Ranked choice voting was devised in the 1850s in Europe and has been used in the U.S. for over a century. It allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference and, in some cases, eliminates the need for primary and runoff elections.
Zoom in: The Independent Voter Project (IVP), a nonprofit that pursues election reforms and proponent of San Diego's initiative, released polling indicating 66% of San Diego voters and 61% of Chula Vista voters supported RCV.
- For city races, five candidates would advance to the general election, which would be decided by ranked-choice voting. Primaries wouldn't be held if there were five or fewer candidates.
Friction point: Proponents of ranked choice believe it frees voters of divisive two-party politics and empowers them to fully express their vote.
- Opponents argue that its purported advantages — like electing more moderate candidates and discouraging negative campaigning — are overstated.
- It can also be confusing to voters.
The big picture: As of 2024, more than 50 U.S. jurisdictions home to 16 million people — two states, three counties and 45 cities — use ranked choice for various kinds of elections, according to FairVote data.
- That number could roughly double after Election Day, as several states (including Oregon, Colorado and Arizona) and multiple cities have a version of ranked choice on the ballot this year.
- The other side: Alaska voters will decide whether to overturn ranked choice voting, which was narrowly approved there in 2020.
Flashback: In 2010, IVP authored a successful measure reforming state California elections so the top two vote getters, regardless of party, advance to a general election.
- In 2016, the group championed Measures K and L, which forced most city of San Diego ballot measures to November general elections and eliminated the possibility of officials winning races outright during primaries.