This document discusses ranked choice voting and its benefits over the current plurality voting system. It argues ranked choice voting (1) ensures a candidate wins with majority support, either in the first round of counting or through an instant runoff process; (2) increases voter participation and reduces negative campaigning; and (3) allows voters to fully express their preferences rather than feeling limited to their top choice or "throwing away" their vote. Evidence from cities that have adopted ranked choice voting shows increased diversity of candidates elected and high voter understanding of the system.

1. BetterBallotIN.org
UPGRADE TO RANKED CHOICE VOTING
Every
Vote
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Michaela Spangenburg, Psy.D.

2. Non-partisan non-profit corporation powered by Hoosiers.
We are here to educate and empower Hoosiers.
We are here to strengthen democracy in Indiana.
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3. Why Rank Choice Voting?
A Personal Perspective

4. Lack of voter participation
Problems With Current Election System
Negative campaigning
Lack of diversity among candidates
You can’t always vote how you want

5. Problems With Current Election System
You Can’t Always Vote How You Want

6. ● 2020 General Election
○ 65% of registered Indiana voters participated:
■ Trump won with 57% of votes
● 33.5% of all adults votes “counted”
○ 60% of Lake County registered voters participated:
■ 56.57% voted for Biden/Harris
● 33.48% of all adult votes “counted”
● 2019 Primary Election
○ 15.06% of Lake County registered voters participated
○ 14,448 (25.3% of Gary) voted in mayoral race
○ 6967 votes counted out of 56983 adult residents
○ 12.2% of votes “counted”
Problems With Current Election System
Lack of Voter Participation

7. Core Values of Modern Democracy
 Instead of one person one vote,
we have
one party one vote.
 Instead of every vote counts,
we have not every vote counts.
 Instead of majority rule,
we have plurality wins.

8. “ spoil the election”
“the lesser of two evils”
“throwing away your vote”
“voting against the other side”
Problems With Current Election System
One Party, One Vote
5 3 7

9. 39% 61%
In March 2019, Jasiel Correia, the mayor of Fall
River, MA was recalled after bribery and
corruption charges (61% yes).
Problems With Current Election System
Not Every Vote Counts
He was re-elected on the same ballot with 35% of the vote.
He was finally voted out
in November 2019.
In May 2021, he was
found guilty on 21 counts
of bribery and
corruption.
34%
35%
CORREIA COOGAN CAMARA RILEY
SCOTT-
PACHECO
14% 11% 6%

10. Right now, a candidate can win
without earning a majority of the
votes. The votes against them are
greater than the votes for them,
but because the votes are split
between two or more candidates,
they win by plurality.
Problems With Current Election System
Problems With Current Election System
Plurality Wins

11. Problems With Current Election System
Plurality Wins

12. Problems With Current Election System
Plurality Wins

13. Problems With Current Election System
Plurality Wins

14. Problems With Current Election System
Plurality Wins

15. Problems With Current Election System
Not Every Vote Counts - One Party, One Vote

16. The Solution: Upgrading to Rank Choice Voting
What is Rank Choice Voting?

17. Instead of picking just one candidate,
Ranked Choice Voting lets you rank multiple
candidates in the order you prefer them.
There are no “spoilers”, you cannot “throw away”
your vote. Each voter has the same amount of power
over the outcome of an election.
Every vote counts.
What is Ranked Choice Voting?
One Person, One Vote

18. What is Ranked Choice Voting?
To win under Ranked Choice Voting, a candidate must get
a majority of the votes (>50%), either in the
first round, or in the subsequent “instant runoff.”
In elections where a candidate wins a majority of the
votes in the first round, Ranked Choice Voting works
similar to our current system. A little change that makes a
lot of difference.
The Ranked Choice Voting “instant runoff” ensures that
whoever wins has earned a majority of the votes.
Majority Rules

19. Count only the 1st choice votes.
Round 1
10% 5%
55% 30%
What is Ranked Choice Voting?
Majority in First Round!
A Little Change that Makes a Lot of Difference

20. Count only the 1st choice votes.
Round 1
No Majority in First Round
20% 5%
40% 35%
What is Ranked Choice Voting?
A Little Change that Makes a Lot of Difference

21. Round 1
Round 2
Voters for the last-place candidate:
their votes instantly count toward
their 2nd choice.
X
20% 5%
40% 35%
20%
44% 36%
Round 3
45% 55%
X
+1%
+1%
+19% Majority in Third Round!
What is Ranked Choice Voting?
A Little Change that Makes a Lot of Difference
+4% +1%
+1%

22. What is Ranked Choice Voting?
Putting Modern Democratic Values into Practice

23. Core Values of Modern Democracy
One Person, One Vote
Every Vote Counts
Majority Rule

24. ● Lack of voter participation
 With RCV –increased voter participation
● Negative campaigning
 With RCV—less negative campaigning
● Lack of diversity among candidates
 With RCV—more diversity among candidates
● You can’t always vote how you want
 With RCV—You can always vote how you
want
Problems With Current Election System and
How Ranked Choice Voting Fixes It

25. Cities that adopted RCV Cities that did not adopt RCV
Before RCV After
RCV
Percentage
People
of
Color
Winning
Office
Why Ranked Choice Voting?
Increased Diversity in Representation

26. Men
Women
Men Women
Women’s Representation on City Councils
After RCV
Before RCV
Why Ranked Choice Voting?
More Diversity in Representation

27. Why Ranked Choice Voting?
Increased Diversity and Choice
Women are poised to hold at least 28 of the 51 seats in the Council,
as opposed to 14 seats after the 2013 election.
35 Democratic primary winners in highly Democratic districts
(candidates who are all but certain to win the November election)
identify as people of color, up from 26 in the current
Council.
Average of 7.5 people ran for every open seat in 2021 compared to
4.1 people in 2013

28. Why Ranked Choice Voting?
Works Even in Difficult Elections
95% of NYC voters surveyed found the ballot simple to complete —
findings that held true across ethnic groups.
78% of voters surveyed said they understood ranked choice voting
“extremely or very well.”
77% of voters want to continue to use rank choice.
15% of “inactive” ballots, compared to 33% previously.
29% increase in voter turnout across all boroughs.

29. Drafted in October 2016, an expansive new study by University of Missouri-St.
Louis Professor, David Kimball, and Ph.D. candidate, Joseph Anthony,
examines the impact of ranked choice voting (RCV) on voter turnout in 26
American cities across 79 elections.
Kimball and Anthony’s study shows that the adoption of RCV:
● is associated with a 10-point increase in voter turnout compared to primary
and runoff elections.
● is not associated with any change in turnout in the General Election.
● is not associated with any change in the number of residual votes (overvotes
and undervotes).
● did not exacerbate inequities in voter turnout and residual votes in
Minneapolis.
Read the FairVote brief | Read the full study
Why Ranked Choice Voting?
Increased Voter Participation

30. Why Ranked Choice Voting?
Less Negative Campaigning

31. “There was relatively little
elbowing and attacking
because every candidate
wanted to be the second
choice of their opponents’
supporters.”
Former Minneapolis Mayor
Betsy Hodges
Why Ranked Choice Voting?
Less Negative Campaigning

32. Why Ranked Choice Voting?
Easy Voter Adoption
95% of NYC voters found RCV to be “very simple” or “somewhat
simple”.
87% of voters in Maine’s first RCV statewide Democratic Primary
ranked multiple candidates.
88% of voters in Santa Fe’s first RCV election ranked multiple
candidates for mayor.
61% of those Santa Fe voters ranked all five candidates.

33. RCV is a real, practical solution.
Eliminates spoilers and vote-splitting.
Encourages more people to run.
Curbs negative campaigning.
Gives voters more voice and more choice.
Will transform politics in Indiana.
Why Upgrade to Ranked Choice Voting?

34. Where is Ranked Choice Voting?

35. Ireland
100 years!
Australia
100 years!
Canada New Zealand
Scotland
Malta
100 years!
Where is Ranked Choice Voting?

36. Professional Organizations
Who is Using Ranked Choice Voting?
Colleges & Universities
Harvard Duke Wheaton
MIT Columbia
Princeton
Northwestern Purdue Carnegie
Mellon

37. Questions?
Visit BetterBallotIN.org to get involved!
Every
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