Ranked choice voting (RCV) brings the election process back to the vibrant dynamic system our Founding Fathers intended. How? Here are all of the ways RCV improves our election process and why Kentuckians should adopt it!

Promotes Majority Rule

Ranked Choice Voting is a more democratic voting system than our current plurality system because it ensures that the greatest number of voters support the winner.

By requiring candidates to earn more than 50% of the votes, candidates need to move beyond their base and build broad coalitions of support. Not only does the outcome more accurately reflect the will of the voters, but a more broadly accountable candidate makes for a more responsive office-holder.

Encourages Positive Campaigns

Plurality elections encourage mudslinging and attacking opponents. Candidates depend on winning by convincing voters not to vote for the “other guy”. They concentrate on their core group of supporters, don’t engage with other voters, and use negative campaigning to convince voters NOT to vote for someone else. This has led to increasingly polarizing campaigns.

Ranked Choice Voting compels candidates to reach out to as many voters as possible, including those who support their opponents, to get the 2nd choice votes needed to reach the majority. It’s not enough to convince voters not to vote for someone else, they now need tell us why we should include them in our rankings.

More Choice – Clearer Voice

Our outdated voting system is designed to be exclusive and limit voter choice on the ballot. Without being able to express their true preference, voters become dissatisfied with the process, and this causes many to withdraw from political engagement entirely.

Ranked Choice Voting allows voters to express their actual preference rather than being forced to choose between the two major political parties. They can choose a third-party or independent candidate without “wasting” their vote. This ensures results that accurately reflect the political views of the voters. With RCV, voters can be sure that their vote will matter and that elections will be won by the candidates that best fit their communities.

Solves the Spoiler Problem

The Spoiler Effect allows candidates to win without majority support by splitting votes between two similar candidates.

Ranked Choice Voting allows voters to rank the candidates in order of preference. They can vote for their favorite candidate — even if from a minor party — knowing that their second choice will count if their first choice doesn’t have enough support to win. Voters don’t have to worry “wasting” their vote on a candidate unlikely to win and don’t have to be afraid of helping elect the candidate they like the least. Since candidates must earn a majority to win, recruiting spoiler candidates to siphon votes away from an opponent would no longer be an effective strategy. RCV is the most effective and efficient way to fix this problem.