January, 21 2022, 10:19am EDT
Grassroots Activists in 23 States Celebrate Annual "Ranked Choice Voting Day," a Reform as Easy as 1-2-3
From “Rank My Beer” events to digital house parties, citizens finding solutions to move our democracy forward
WASHINGTON
On Sunday, January 23, activists and advocates across 23 states will host events and days of action for the 2nd annual "Ranked Choice Voting Day." Ranked Choice Voting Day is held on January 23 (1/23), celebrating that RCV allows voters to rank candidates 1-2-3.
Ranked choice voting is the fastest-growing bipartisan voting reform in the country, now reaching 55 jurisdictions with 10 million voters across the nation. In 2021, RCV was used in a record 33 cities and the year's biggest elections - New York City's primaries and Virginia's Republican convention.
"At this moment of promise and peril for our democracy, citizens are coming together to find solutions. Americans of all backgrounds want better elections that give them more voice, encourage a diverse range of candidates to run, and solve problems like 'spoilers' and 'vote-splitting,'" said Rob Richie, President and CEO of FairVote. "The grassroots energy for ranked choice voting has made it the fastest-growing voting reform in the country, while Congress and dozens of state legislatures are considering and passing bills in support of RCV. This Ranked Choice Voting Day, we celebrate our movement's progress and momentum - only possible because of our state and local partners, and the tremendous energy of committed citizens across the country."
Ranked Choice Voting Day activities are shared online, and include:
- "Rank My Beer" events at local breweries in Colorado and Delaware to educate voters about how to use RCV
- A Reddit "Ask Me Anything" to educate voters in California
- Phone banks to voters, volunteers, and state officials in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Texas
- Canvasses, gatherings and "digital house parties" in Missouri, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin
Our movement will continue building on this grassroots energy through 2022, as Alaska holds statewide and federal RCV elections for the first time, a record number of states consider RCV legislation, and more cities implement RCV in their local elections as part of the path to 500 cities with RCV by 2025.
FairVote acts to transform our elections to achieve universal access to participation, a full spectrum of meaningful ballot choices and majority rule with fair representation for all. As a catalyst for change, we build support for innovative strategies to win a constitutionally protected right to vote, universal voter registration, a national popular vote for president, instant runoff voting and proportional representation.
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