Voters Resoundingly Defeat Ranked-Choice Voting Initiatives

With 2024 election results tabulated in most states, a clear pattern has emerged. That is, voters have no interest in allowing ranked-choice voting (RCV) to corrupt their elections.

In numerous states across the country, ballot initiatives seeking to implement RCV in elections were overwhelmingly defeated by electors. Under RCV, voters rank candidates of all parties in order of preference. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes in the first round of voting, the last-place finisher is eliminated, and his votes are reallocated to his voters’ second-choice candidate.

This process continues until one candidate receives a majority of votes.

RCV has produced lopsided election results and races with high rates of discarded ballots. It’s often been pushed by Democrats as a way of winning traditionally Republican seats, as evidenced in Alaska and Maine.

In Nevada, early results show more than half of the state’s 2024 electors voting “no” against a constitutional amendment proposal that sought to implement a top-five RCV system. Having been approved by Silver State voters in the last general election, the initiative required passage on Tuesday to be ratified as part of the Nevada Constitution.

As a result of its failure to secure support from a majority of voters, the amendment will not be added to the state’s founding document.

In Arizona, preliminary results indicate voters have defeated Proposition 140. That constitutional amendment proposal sought to institute an open primary system in which candidates of all parties run in the same primary. It also paved the way for the state to potentially adopt RCV for general elections.

A court-appointed special master discovered in the weeks before Election Day that 99 percent of challenged signatures collected in support of Prop 140 were duplicates, a finding the Arizona Free Enterprise Club argued placed the initiative “thousands of signatures under the constitutionally required signature threshold to qualify for the [November] ballot.” The Arizona Supreme Court nonetheless permitted votes on the measure to be counted.

In Oregon, voters defeated Measure 117, a statutory initiative aiming to implement RCV for federal and state executive races starting in 2028. As of this article’s publication, nearly 60 percent of Oregonians voted “no” on the proposal, with 73 percent of votes tabulated.

In Idaho, voters resoundingly rejected Proposition 1, which sought to bring a top-four ranked-choice voting system to the Gem State’s elections. Preliminary results show the measure garnering opposition from more than two-thirds of 2024 Idaho general election voters.

In Montana, early results indicate voters are on track to defeat a pair of initiated constitutional amendment proposals that would have paved the way for RCV’s implementation. CI 126 sought to institute a top-four open primary, in which candidates of all parties run in the same primary.

CI 127 aimed to require candidates running for Congress, state legislature, and statewide executive office to receive a majority of votes rather than a plurality to be declared the winner of their respective races. According to Ballotpedia, “The state legislature would have needed to pass a law providing for an electoral system with majority vote winners,” with examples including “runoff elections and ranked-choice voting.”

In South Dakota, voters overwhelmingly defeated Amendment H. That initiative sought to amend the state constitution by requiring a top-two primary system for state executive and legislative, congressional, and county races. Candidates from all parties would compete in a single primary, in which the top two vote-getters — regardless of party affiliation — would advance to the general election.

This type of primary system is currently used by states such as California.

Meanwhile, initiatives seeking to enshrine protections against RCV seemingly enjoyed success during Tuesday’s contests.

In Missouri, more than two-thirds of voters passed a constitutional amendment proposal prohibiting RCV’s use. Known as Amendment 7, the initiative also amended the Missouri Constitution to specify that “only” U.S. citizens can vote in elections.

In Alaska, a ballot measure repealing the state’s top-four RCV system is seemingly on track to pass. As of this article’s publication, preliminary results show 51 percent of electors voting “yes” on Measure 2, with 76 percent of votes tabulated.

The Last Frontier State narrowly adopted RCV via ballot initiative during the 2020 election. The use of RCV has produced a scenario in which a Democrat now represents Alaska’s at-large congressional seat. The system also helped establishment GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski win reelection against a more conservative challenger during the 2022 midterms.

RCV proponents did, however, enjoy one victory. In Washington, D.C., voters passed an initiative enabling the system’s use in elections starting in 2026. The initiative was opposed by Mayor Muriel Bowser and the district’s Democrat Party, the latter of which unsuccessfully sued to keep the measure off the 2024 ballot.

Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood