Ranked Choice Voting

What Is Ranked Choice Voting

Ranked choice voting is a way to vote that lets you rank candidates in order of preference instead of choosing only one. If no candidate wins a majority of first choices, the last-place candidate is eliminated and those ballots count for each voter’s next choice. The count repeats until one candidate has a majority of the ballots still in play. American elections use the single-winner version, also called instant-runoff voting.

Single-winner RCV is not proportional representation. It elects one person per office, and it is the form on nearly every American ballot that asks you to rank.

A Real Count, Round by Round

The clearest way to see ranked choice voting work is to follow one real count. In Alaska’s August 2022 special election for its only U.S. House seat, 188,582 ballots had a valid first choice among three candidates. Here is the official tabulation from the Alaska Division of Elections.

Round 1: no one reached 50%, so the last-place candidate was eliminated. Democrat Mary Peltola led with 40.2% of first choices. Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich split most of the rest.

Round 1: first choices, Alaska U.S. House special election, August 2022 (%)

Category	Value
Mary Peltola (D)	40.2%
Sarah Palin (R)	31.3%
Nick Begich (R)	28.5%

Share of 188,582 ballots with a valid first choice. Source: Alaska Division of Elections, official RCV tabulation, September 2, 2022.

Begich’s 53,810 ballots then moved to each voter’s next choice, and one in five had none. Half went to Palin. More than a quarter went to Peltola. The rest had ranked no one else, so those ballots stopped counting in this race.

50.3%

28.7%

20.9%

0.1%

• Next choice: Palin (50.3%) 27,053 ballots
• Next choice: Peltola (28.7%) 15,467 ballots
• No next choice (exhausted) (20.9%) 11,243 ballots
• Two candidates ranked equally (overvote) (0.1%) 47 ballots

Shares computed from the transfer table in the official tabulation. Source: Alaska Division of Elections.

Final round: Peltola won with 51.5% of the ballots still counting. Begich voters preferred Palin by almost two to one, but Peltola’s first-round lead was large enough to hold.

Final round: Alaska U.S. House special election, August 2022 (%)

Category	Value
Mary Peltola (D)	51.5%
Sarah Palin (R)	48.5%

Share of 177,292 ballots still counting in round 2. Source: Alaska Division of Elections.

Two details in that count matter for the debate below. Peltola’s 91,266 final-round votes were a majority of the ballots still in play, but 48.4% of all ballots counted in round 1, because 11,243 exhausted ballots dropped out. And the same rules produced a Republican winner two years later: in November 2024, Begich beat Peltola 51.2% to 48.8% in the final round (Alaska Division of Elections).

Maine was first to decide a House race this way. In 2018, Democrat Jared Golden trailed Republican Bruce Poliquin with 45.6% of first choices in the 2nd District. After two independents were eliminated, Golden won with 50.6% (Ballotpedia, official results).

Set next to the system most Americans use, the difference is what happens when no one has a majority.

The spoiler row is what supporters care about most. Under plurality voting, backing a candidate who cannot win can help elect the one you like least. Ranking lets you support that candidate first, and your ballot still counts for your backup if your first choice is eliminated. FairVote has proposed the same fix for the replacement question on California’s recall ballot, covered in our recall election explainer.

How to Mark a Ranked Ballot So Your Vote Counts

Most ranked ballots are counted correctly, and the common mistakes are easy to avoid. A 2025 study of 3 million ranked ballots found that 4.8% had at least one marking error, though most of those ballots still counted (Pettigrew and Radley, Political Behavior). Four habits avoid the common ones:

1. Give each ranking to only one candidate. Two candidates marked as your first choice is an overvote. New York City’s election guide warns it “could disqualify your ballot” (NYC Votes).
2. Rank each candidate only once. Ranking your favorite first, second, and third does not help them. Only the first ranking counts.
3. Do not skip rankings. Rules differ by place. Alaska’s tabulation rules treat a ballot as exhausted once two or more rankings are skipped (Alaska Division of Elections).
4. Rank as many or as few as you like. Ranking a backup never hurts your first choice. Ranking more candidates keeps your ballot counting longer if your favorites are eliminated.

Your sample ballot, from your county or city election office, shows how many rankings your ballot allows and how it is laid out.

Ranked Choice Voting in Your State

In 19 states, the law now bans ranked choice voting. In 16, the state or some of its cities use it or plan to. The other 15 have no law on it and no place using it.

3

13

15

19

• Used statewide for some elections (3 states) Alaska, Hawaii, Maine
• Used or scheduled in some cities or counties (13 states)
• No state law, not in use (15 states)
• Banned by state law (19 states)

Ballotpedia's four-way classification, as of September 2026. D.C. is not counted. Source: Ballotpedia.

Ranked choice voting in your state

Choose your state to see whether ranked choice voting is used, banned, or unaddressed, where it is used, and the law that governs it.

Choose your state to see its rules Select a state AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

The map covers general elections run by the state or its cities. It does not cover party-run primaries, or the ranked runoff ballots some states mail to overseas and military voters.

Where ranked choice voting stands

• Used statewide for some elections (3 states)
• Used or scheduled in some localities (13 states)
• No state law, not in use (15 states)
• Banned by state law (19 states)

Sources: Ballotpedia, Ranked-choice voting (RCV), state table and state laws (as of September 2026); Indiana SB 12 (2026), enrolled act; Ohio SB 63 (2026), as enacted; Alaska Division of Elections, 2024 general election summary (Ballot Measure 2); Ballotpedia News, three city RCV measures on the November 3, 2026 ballot (September 22, 2026). Verified September 26, 2026.

Where ranked choice voting stands

State	Status	State law	Also worth knowing
Alabama	Banned by state law (2024)	Alabama Code § 17-1-6	Overseas and military voters still use ranked ballots for runoffs.
Alaska	Used statewide for some elections	Alaska Statutes § 15.15.350	A repeal (Ballot Measure 2) is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. The 2024 repeal failed by 737 votes.
Arizona	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—
Arkansas	Banned by state law (2025)	Arkansas Code § 7-1-116	—
California	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	California Government Code § 24206	—
Colorado	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	Colorado Revised Statutes § 1-7-118	Voters rejected statewide RCV (Proposition 131) in 2024.
Connecticut	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—
Delaware	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	—	—
Florida	Banned by state law (2022)	Florida Statutes § 101.019	The ban blocked Sarasota from using the RCV its voters had approved.
Georgia	No state law on it, and not in use	—	Overseas and military voters use ranked ballots for runoffs.
Hawaii	Used statewide for some elections	Hawaii Revised Statutes § 11-100	—
Idaho	Banned by state law (2023)	Idaho Code § 34-903B	Voters also rejected an open-primary and RCV measure (Proposition 1) in 2024.
Illinois	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	—	—
Indiana	Banned by state law (2026)	Indiana Code § 3-5-2.1-87.5	Effective July 1, 2026.
Iowa	Banned by state law (2025)	Iowa Code § 49.93	—
Kansas	Banned by state law (2025)	Kansas Statutes § 25-442	The first ban signed by a Democratic governor, Laura Kelly.
Kentucky	Banned by state law (2024)	Kentucky Revised Statutes § 117.147	The legislature overrode Gov. Andy Beshear's veto.
Louisiana	Banned by state law (2024)	Louisiana Revised Statutes § 18:404	Overseas and military voters still use ranked ballots for runoffs.
Maine	Used statewide for some elections	21-A Maine Revised Statutes § 1, sub-§ 27-C	Not used in general elections for governor or the legislature, after a 2017 state court advisory opinion.
Maryland	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	—	—
Massachusetts	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	—	Voters rejected statewide RCV (Question 2) in 2020.
Michigan	No state law on it, and not in use	—	Ann Arbor, East Lansing, Ferndale, Kalamazoo and Royal Oak approved RCV, but state election law keeps them from using it.
Minnesota	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	—	—
Mississippi	Banned by state law (2024)	Mississippi Code § 23-15-893	—
Missouri	Banned by state law (2024)	Missouri Constitution, Article VIII, § 3	Voters approved the ban (Amendment 7) in November 2024, bundled with a citizenship requirement for voting.
Montana	Banned by state law (2023)	Montana Code § 13-1-125	—
Nebraska	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—
Nevada	No state law on it, and not in use	—	Voters approved a top-five RCV amendment in 2022, then rejected it in the required second vote in 2024.
New Hampshire	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—
New Jersey	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—
New Mexico	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	New Mexico Statutes § 1-22-16	—
New York	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	—	—
North Carolina	No state law on it, and not in use	—	A 2007-2008 pilot let some towns use it, and it filled some judicial vacancies from 2006 to 2013.
North Dakota	Banned by state law (2025)	North Dakota Century Code ch. 16.1-01	The law also bans approval voting, which Fargo had used.
Ohio	Banned by state law (2026)	Ohio Revised Code § 3505.011	Any city or chartered county that adopts it anyway loses its state Local Government Fund money.
Oklahoma	Banned by state law (2024)	Oklahoma Statutes tit. 26, § 1-112	—
Oregon	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	—	Voters rejected statewide RCV (Measure 117) in 2024.
Pennsylvania	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—
Rhode Island	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—
South Carolina	No state law on it, and not in use	—	Overseas and military voters use ranked ballots for runoffs.
South Dakota	Banned by state law (2023)	South Dakota Codified Laws § 12-1-9.1	—
Tennessee	Banned by state law (2022)	Tennessee Code § 2-8-117	The ban blocked Memphis from using the RCV its voters had approved.
Texas	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—
Utah	No state law on it, and not in use	—	A pilot let cities opt in from 2018 until it expired on January 1, 2026.
Vermont	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	—	—
Virginia	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	Code of Virginia § 24.2-673.1	—
Washington	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	—	—
West Virginia	Banned by state law (2025)	West Virginia Code § 3-1-52	—
Wisconsin	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—
Wyoming	Banned by state law (2025)	Wyoming Statutes § 22-2-117	—

See all states in a table

All states Used statewide for some elections (3 states)Used or scheduled in some localities (13 states)No state law, not in use (15 states)Banned by state law (19 states) Showing 50 of 50 states

State	Status	Where or for what it is used	State law	Also worth knowing
Alabama	Banned by state law (2024)	—	Alabama Code § 17-1-6	Overseas and military voters still use ranked ballots for runoffs.
Alaska	Used statewide for some elections	All general elections for federal, state and legislative offices, after a top-four open primary. Used since 2022.	Alaska Statutes § 15.15.350	A repeal (Ballot Measure 2) is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. The 2024 repeal failed by 737 votes.
Arizona	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—	—
Arkansas	Banned by state law (2025)	—	Arkansas Code § 7-1-116	—
California	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	Albany, Berkeley, Oakland, Redondo Beach, San Francisco and San Leandro. Eureka is scheduled for 2028. State law also lets Santa Clara County use it. Irvine votes on Measure D, for mayor and council, on November 3, 2026.	California Government Code § 24206	—
Colorado	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	Basalt, Boulder, Carbondale and Fort Collins. Broomfield is scheduled for 2027. Longmont votes on Question 3C, for mayor and council, on November 3, 2026.	Colorado Revised Statutes § 1-7-118	Voters rejected statewide RCV (Proposition 131) in 2024.
Connecticut	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—	—
Delaware	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	Arden.	—	—
Florida	Banned by state law (2022)	—	Florida Statutes § 101.019	The ban blocked Sarasota from using the RCV its voters had approved.
Georgia	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—	Overseas and military voters use ranked ballots for runoffs.
Hawaii	Used statewide for some elections	Special federal elections and county council vacancies. Used since 2023. Honolulu votes on Question 5, for mayor, council and prosecutor, on November 3, 2026.	Hawaii Revised Statutes § 11-100	—
Idaho	Banned by state law (2023)	—	Idaho Code § 34-903B	Voters also rejected an open-primary and RCV measure (Proposition 1) in 2024.
Illinois	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	Oak Park and Skokie are scheduled for 2027. Evanston adopted it, but a lawsuit blocked its 2025 use. Springfield uses ranked ballots only for overseas voters.	—	—
Indiana	Banned by state law (2026)	—	Indiana Code § 3-5-2.1-87.5	Effective July 1, 2026.
Iowa	Banned by state law (2025)	—	Iowa Code § 49.93	—
Kansas	Banned by state law (2025)	—	Kansas Statutes § 25-442	The first ban signed by a Democratic governor, Laura Kelly.
Kentucky	Banned by state law (2024)	—	Kentucky Revised Statutes § 117.147	The legislature overrode Gov. Andy Beshear's veto.
Louisiana	Banned by state law (2024)	—	Louisiana Revised Statutes § 18:404	Overseas and military voters still use ranked ballots for runoffs.
Maine	Used statewide for some elections	Primaries for Congress, governor and the legislature; general elections for Congress and president. Used since 2018. Portland and Westbrook also use it for city elections.	21-A Maine Revised Statutes § 1, sub-§ 27-C	Not used in general elections for governor or the legislature, after a 2017 state court advisory opinion.
Maryland	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	Takoma Park. Greenbelt is scheduled for November 2027.	—	—
Massachusetts	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	Cambridge (since 1941, the longest continuous use in the country) and Easthampton. Amherst has authorized it.	—	Voters rejected statewide RCV (Question 2) in 2020.
Michigan	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—	Ann Arbor, East Lansing, Ferndale, Kalamazoo and Royal Oak approved RCV, but state election law keeps them from using it.
Minnesota	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	Bloomington, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, St. Louis Park and St. Paul.	—	—
Mississippi	Banned by state law (2024)	—	Mississippi Code § 23-15-893	—
Missouri	Banned by state law (2024)	—	Missouri Constitution, Article VIII, § 3	Voters approved the ban (Amendment 7) in November 2024, bundled with a citizenship requirement for voting.
Montana	Banned by state law (2023)	—	Montana Code § 13-1-125	—
Nebraska	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—	—
Nevada	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—	Voters approved a top-five RCV amendment in 2022, then rejected it in the required second vote in 2024.
New Hampshire	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—	—
New Jersey	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—	—
New Mexico	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	Las Cruces and Santa Fe.	New Mexico Statutes § 1-22-16	—
New York	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	New York City primaries and special elections, since 2021. Newburgh is scheduled for 2027.	—	—
North Carolina	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—	A 2007-2008 pilot let some towns use it, and it filled some judicial vacancies from 2006 to 2013.
North Dakota	Banned by state law (2025)	—	North Dakota Century Code ch. 16.1-01	The law also bans approval voting, which Fargo had used.
Ohio	Banned by state law (2026)	—	Ohio Revised Code § 3505.011	Any city or chartered county that adopts it anyway loses its state Local Government Fund money.
Oklahoma	Banned by state law (2024)	—	Oklahoma Statutes tit. 26, § 1-112	—
Oregon	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	Benton County, Corvallis and Portland. Multnomah County is scheduled for 2026.	—	Voters rejected statewide RCV (Measure 117) in 2024.
Pennsylvania	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—	—
Rhode Island	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—	—
South Carolina	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—	Overseas and military voters use ranked ballots for runoffs.
South Dakota	Banned by state law (2023)	—	South Dakota Codified Laws § 12-1-9.1	—
Tennessee	Banned by state law (2022)	—	Tennessee Code § 2-8-117	The ban blocked Memphis from using the RCV its voters had approved.
Texas	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—	—
Utah	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—	A pilot let cities opt in from 2018 until it expired on January 1, 2026.
Vermont	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	Burlington.	—	—
Virginia	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	Arlington County board and Charlottesville city council. A 2026 law lets any local governing body use it and ended the pilot's 2031 expiration.	Code of Virginia § 24.2-673.1	—
Washington	Used or scheduled in some cities or counties	Seattle is scheduled for 2027.	—	—
West Virginia	Banned by state law (2025)	—	West Virginia Code § 3-1-52	—
Wisconsin	No state law on it, and not in use	—	—	—
Wyoming	Banned by state law (2025)	—	Wyoming Statutes § 22-2-117	—

Sources: Ballotpedia, Ranked-choice voting (RCV), state table and state laws (as of September 2026); Indiana SB 12 (2026), enrolled act; Ohio SB 63 (2026), as enacted; Alaska Division of Elections, 2024 general election summary (Ballot Measure 2); Ballotpedia News, three city RCV measures on the November 3, 2026 ballot (September 22, 2026). Verified September 26, 2026.

How the Bans Spread

Ranked choice voting spread through ballot measures for a decade, and then the fight moved to state legislatures. Maine adopted it in 2016 and Alaska in 2020. Florida and Tennessee passed the first state bans in 2022, and by September 2026 the count had reached 19.

1. 2016 Maine becomes the first RCV state Voters approve it by ballot initiative, 52% to 48%.
2. 2018 First House race decided by instant runoff Jared Golden wins Maine's 2nd District after trailing on first choices.
3. 2020 Alaska adopts RCV with a top-four primary Ballot Measure 2 passes with 50.55%.
4. 2022 Florida and Tennessee pass the first bans Both bans overrode local votes, in Sarasota and Memphis.
5. Nov 2024 Four statewide measures fail; Missouri bans RCV Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon vote no. Alaska keeps RCV by 737 votes.
6. 2025 Six more states ban it Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
7. 2026 Indiana and Ohio ban it; Virginia widens it Virginia lets any local governing body adopt RCV.
8. Nov 3, 2026 Alaska votes on repeal again Ballot Measure 2 would also end open primaries.

Sources: Ballotpedia; Alaska Division of Elections; Alaska Beacon.

Ranked choice voting, 2016 to 2026: 2016: Maine becomes the first RCV state (Voters approve it by ballot initiative, 52% to 48%.). 2018: First House race decided by instant runoff (Jared Golden wins Maine's 2nd District after trailing on first choices.). 2020: Alaska adopts RCV with a top-four primary (Ballot Measure 2 passes with 50.55%.). 2022: Florida and Tennessee pass the first bans (Both bans overrode local votes, in Sarasota and Memphis.). Nov 2024: Four statewide measures fail; Missouri bans RCV (Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon vote no. Alaska keeps RCV by 737 votes.). 2025: Six more states ban it (Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming.). 2026: Indiana and Ohio ban it; Virginia widens it (Virginia lets any local governing body adopt RCV.). Nov 3, 2026: Alaska votes on repeal again (Ballot Measure 2 would also end open primaries.).

2016: Maine voters approved Question 5 by 52% to 48%, making Maine the first state to adopt ranked choice voting.

2018: Maine’s 2nd Congressional District became the first U.S. House race decided by an instant runoff. That June, Maine voters also rejected the legislature’s attempt to delay the law.

2020: Alaska voters approved Ballot Measure 2 with 50.55%, pairing ranked choice general elections with a single top-four primary open to every candidate.

2022: Florida and Tennessee passed the first statewide bans. Florida’s blocked Sarasota, and Tennessee’s blocked Memphis, from using a system local voters had approved.

November 2024: Measures to adopt ranked choice voting failed in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon, and Missouri voters approved a constitutional ban. Alaska kept its system by 737 votes, 50.11% to 49.89%.

2025: Six states passed bans. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly became the first Democratic governor to sign one.

2026: Indiana and Ohio passed bans. Ohio’s law withholds state Local Government Fund money from any city or chartered county that adopts RCV anyway. Virginia went the other way and let any local governing body use it.

November 3, 2026: Alaska votes on Ballot Measure 2, which would repeal ranked choice voting, bring back closed party primaries, and repeal some of the campaign disclosure rules adopted in 2020. The same day, three city councils ask their voters to adopt it: Irvine, California (Measure D), Honolulu (Question 5) and Longmont, Colorado (Question 3C), Ballotpedia reports.

New bans rose from two states in 2022 to six in each of 2024 and 2025. Two more followed in the first nine months of 2026.

States that enacted a ranked choice voting ban, by year

Category	Value
2022	2
2023	3
2024	6
2025	6
2026 (through Sept.)	2

Counted from the 19 state bans in Ballotpedia's state-law list. Missouri's 2024 ban was a voter-approved constitutional amendment. Source: Ballotpedia.

Who Decides How You Vote

The fight over ranked choice voting has become a fight over who gets to choose the voting system. Of the 19 bans, 18 came from legislatures, and two overrode cities whose voters had already approved it. Missouri’s ban was the exception, approved by voters in a measure that also added a citizenship requirement for voting.

Where voters have decided directly, the results split. Maine voters adopted ranked choice voting and later defended it, and Alaska voters kept it by 0.23 percentage points, while voters in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Massachusetts turned it down.

What the Research Shows About Ranked Choice Voting

Serious people disagree about ranked choice voting, and the research gives each side something. Here is what the strongest studies found, and who says what.

Supporters say it raises participation. FairVote, the main advocacy group, argues that winners have majority support, spoilers matter less, and candidates court their rivals’ voters for second choices. A 2024 study in Electoral Studies used individual voter turnout records and found “significant and substantially higher probabilities of turnout” in places that use RCV (Dowling, Tolbert, Micatka, and Donovan). Campaigns in those places also contacted voters directly more often. The study compares places, so it shows an association, not proof that RCV caused the difference.

Critics say ranked ballots produce more errors, and not evenly. Pettigrew and Radley’s 2025 study found 0.35% of ranked votes were rejected in the first round of counting, against 0.04% in races where voters pick one candidate. Mismarking was more common in areas with more racial minorities, lower incomes, and less formal education (Political Behavior).

Critics also point to exhausted ballots. A study of 600,000 ballots in four local elections found that exhaustion left every winner short of a majority of all votes cast (Burnett and Kogan, Electoral Studies). The Alaska 2022 count above shows the same thing: 51.5% of ballots still counting, 48.4% of all ballots cast.

The two sides disagree about speed. Bethany Marcum, treasurer of Alaska’s Repeal Now campaign, told a July 27, 2026 hearing that ranked ballots are complicated and that voters complain about making mistakes: “Our campaign is about one person, one vote.” Scott Kendall of the No on 2 campaign answered that Alaska’s slow results come from waiting for ballots to arrive from across the state, and that the tabulation itself “takes mere seconds” (Alaska Beacon).

The partisan claim is harder to support. Opponents often describe RCV as a tool for one party. In Alaska, the same system elected a Democrat in 2022 and a Republican in 2024, and Kansas’s ban was signed by a Democratic governor.

What Ranked Choice Voting Does Not Fix

Ranked choice voting changes how one seat is filled. It leaves most of the election system alone.

• District lines stay the same. A gerrymandered district is still gerrymandered, since RCV changes the count, not the map. Our gerrymandering explainer covers how lines are drawn.
• Seats still do not match vote shares. Single-winner RCV is not proportional representation, so a party with 40% of the vote statewide can still win far fewer than 40% of the seats.
• A candidate with a first-round majority wins outright. When one candidate tops 50% of first choices, the rankings are never used.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my vote still count if my first choice loses?

Yes, if you ranked someone who is still in the race. Your ballot moves to your next-ranked candidate still running. It stops counting only when every candidate you ranked has been eliminated, which is called ballot exhaustion.

Does ranked choice voting take longer to count?

Results can take longer where many ballots come by mail. Defending Alaska’s system at a July 2026 hearing, Scott Kendall of the No on 2 campaign said officials have to wait for mailed ballots to arrive from across the state before they can tabulate, and that the tabulation “takes mere seconds.”

Is ranked choice voting legal in my state?

In 19 states it is banned by state law. Of the other 31, 16 use it statewide or in some cities and 15 have no law on it and no place using it. The ranked-choice voting state lookup shows your state’s law.

Why are states banning it?

Critics of ranked choice voting, such as the Foundation for Government Accountability and Stop RCV, argue that it is harder for voters, slows results, and leaves exhausted ballots out of the final count. Florida’s and Tennessee’s bans also blocked Sarasota and Memphis from adopting it.

What You Can Do

1. If you live in Alaska, vote on Ballot Measure 2 on November 3, 2026. Read the full ballot summary from the Division of Elections first. The measure would also end open primaries and repeal some campaign disclosure rules, not only ranked choice voting.

2. If a ban bill is moving in your state, tell your legislators how you want them to vote. Ask them on the record, and ask whether the bill would override a city that has already adopted it. Use the letter below.

3. If your city is considering ranked choice voting, show up. Local adoption happens at city council meetings and on local ballots. FairVote’s map lists where it is used and where campaigns are active.

4. If you vote with a ranked ballot, practice first. Check your sample ballot, rank as many candidates as you want, and follow the four marking rules above so your ballot counts.

5. Write your state legislators using the letter below and ask them to keep ranked choice voting a choice cities and voters can make.