fairvote.org

Ranked choice voting (RCV) is a voting method in which voters rank candidates in order of preference—first, second, third, and so on—rather than choosing just one. According to FairVote, a nonpartisan organization that researches and advances voting reforms, RCV is designed to make elections fairer for all voters by giving them more voice and reducing the worry that a vote will be "wasted" or that a candidate will act as a "spoiler." It is used in a growing number of U.S. elections, including statewide contests in Alaska and Maine and in 13 cities and counties as of the 2026 election cycle.

How the Ranking Works

Instead of marking a single candidate, you mark your preferences in order. FairVote describes the process simply: voters have the freedom to rank candidates as first, second, third, and so forth. This means you can support your favorite candidate without fear that doing so helps elect someone you dislike, because your vote can transfer to a later preference if your first choice is eliminated.

Why It Matters: The Spoiler Problem

In a traditional plurality election, a third candidate can "split" the vote and cause a less-preferred candidate to win—the so-called spoiler effect. FairVote points to a concrete example: with ranked choice voting, Alaskans "don't need to worry about 'spoilers.'" Because voters can rank multiple candidates, they are not forced to choose between voting their conscience and voting strategically.

What It Changes for Candidates

RCV doesn't just change how voters behave—it changes how candidates campaign. As FairVote explains, candidates must attract people's second- and third-place votes, which gives them a strong incentive to make broad-based appeals rather than narrow ones. The Washington Post Editorial Board made a similar point in October 2024, noting that the system encourages candidates to reach beyond their base.

Where It's Being Used

FairVote's homepage highlights that ranked choice voting will be used in the 2026 elections in Alaska and Maine, along with 13 cities and counties. The organization also tracks related reforms, including proportional representation, which aims to ensure that different groups of voters elect winners in proportion to their share of the vote.

Related Reform: Proportional Representation

FairVote distinguishes RCV from proportional representation. While RCV is about ranking candidates within a contest, proportional representation focuses on multi-seat elections: instead of electing one legislator, different groups of voters elect winners in proportion to their share of the votes cast. The two reforms can be combined—FairVote publishes resources on "proportional ranked choice voting" as well.

Where to Learn More

FairVote offers several resource categories for people who want to go deeper:

• Research reports on election reform
• Data on RCV and data on proportional RCV
• RCV "how to's" and ballot tools for practical guidance
• Exit surveys showing voter reactions to ranked choice voting

These materials are aimed at voters, organizers, and researchers who want evidence and hands-on tools rather than just a definition.

FairVote is a nonpartisan organization that researches and advances voting reforms in the United States, with the stated goal of "better elections for all." Its two headline reform areas are ranked choice voting and proportional representation. If you are trying to understand what the group advocates, what it publishes, or whether it is tied to a political party, the short answer is that it works on election rules and structures rather than on candidates or parties.

What FairVote works on

The organization describes itself as nonpartisan and frames its mission around election reform for all Americans. Its homepage groups its work under two reforms:

• Ranked choice voting (RCV). Voters rank candidates in order of preference — first, second, third, and so on — rather than picking only one. FairVote argues this gives voters more voice and reduces the "spoiler" problem, where voting for a preferred candidate is seen as wasting a vote or helping an unwanted candidate win.
• Proportional representation. Instead of electing a single legislator per district, different groups of voters elect winners in proportion to their share of the votes cast. FairVote describes this as ensuring every voice is heard.

FairVote also publishes material connecting these reforms to representation for specific communities. One homepage item, for example, discusses ranked choice voting lowering barriers for underrepresented communities, including Hispanic and Latino Americans, to win representation.

How it pursues those goals

FairVote's method is a mix of research, publishing, and public advocacy rather than running candidates or endorsing parties:

• Research and data. The site offers research reports and data on ranked choice voting and proportional RCV.
• Practical tools. It provides RCV "how to's" and ballot tools, aimed at voters and administrators rather than only at policymakers.
• News and commentary. It publishes news updates and media commentary on the movement for election reform, including state-by-state developments.
• Public argument. It amplifies outside voices making the case for reform. The homepage quotes a Washington Post editorial board piece from October 3, 2024, arguing that ranked choice voting in primaries and general elections could help, that voters can back a preferred candidate with less worry about wasted votes or spoilers, and that candidates gain an incentive to make broad-based appeals to attract second- and third-place votes.

Where ranked choice voting is being used

The homepage highlights ranked choice voting in the 2026 elections: Alaska and Maine will use it in November, along with 13 cities and counties. This is a useful signal for what the organization tracks — not just advocacy in the abstract, but the specific jurisdictions where the reform is in effect.

FairVote also promotes a longer-range vision. One featured piece discusses a "two-and-a-half party" multi-party democracy as a model that could work for the United States, which shows the organization's reform interests extend beyond RCV to broader questions of party structure and representation.

What to expect if you visit or follow the site

If you are deciding whether FairVote is a useful source for you, the site is organized around a few recurring entry points:

One practical note: the homepage repeatedly prompts visitors to join or sign up for updates, so the site is built partly as an advocacy and list-building channel, not only as a reference library. Treat its framing as that of an organization promoting these reforms, and use its research pages and external citations if you want to evaluate the arguments independently.

FairVote's site organizes its material into four main resource types: research reports, data on ranked choice voting (RCV), RCV "how-to's" and ballot tools, and data on proportional RCV. If you want to understand how RCV works, find where it's being used, or get practical guidance for running or participating in an RCV election, those four categories are the fastest way in. The site also carries news and commentary, plus a newsletter signup for updates.

The four resource categories

The site's resources page is described as the entry point for "additional information on ranked choice voting, proportional representation, and other election topics."

Explanatory pages for the two core reforms

If you're starting from zero, FairVote maintains plain-language explainers:

• What is ranked choice voting? — Describes RCV as letting voters rank candidates in order of preference (first, second, third, and so forth), with the stated aim of giving voters more voice and more freedom.
• What is proportional representation? — Explains that instead of electing one legislator, different groups of voters elect winners in proportion to their share of the votes cast.

These two pages are the natural starting point before moving into the data and how-to material.

Where RCV is being used

For a current snapshot of adoption, FairVote highlights that Alaska and Maine will use ranked choice voting in November, along with 13 cities and counties (as stated for the 2026 elections). This is the page to check if your question is "is RCV used where I live?"

News, commentary, and outside coverage

FairVote aggregates news updates and media articles on the movement for better elections. One example on the site is a Washington Post editorial board piece (October 3, 2024) arguing that implementing RCV in primary and general elections could help, that voters can support a preferred candidate without worrying as much about wasting a vote or the "spoiler" effect, and that candidates gain an incentive to make broad-based appeals to attract second- and third-place votes.

Staying updated

The site offers a newsletter signup for "important updates," which is the simplest way to receive new research, data releases, and news as they're published.

How to choose what to read first

• New to the topic → start with the "What is ranked choice voting?" and "What is proportional representation?" explainers.
• Need evidence or numbers → go to research reports and the RCV / proportional RCV data sections.
• Running or participating in an RCV election → use the RCV "how-to's" and ballot tools.
• Tracking adoption or current events → check the 2026 elections page and the news and commentary section.

Proportional representation (PR) and ranked choice voting (RCV) are both election reforms that aim to make elections fairer, but they solve different problems. RCV changes how voters mark a ballot in a single-winner (or multi-winner) race by letting them rank candidates in order of preference. PR changes how seats are allocated so that different groups of voters elect winners in proportion to their share of the vote. In short: RCV is a ballot and counting method; PR is a seat-allocation goal that often uses ranked ballots to get there.

What Proportional Representation Means

According to FairVote, proportional representation ensures elections are fair for all voters and that every voice is heard. Instead of electing one legislator, different groups of voters elect winners in proportion to their share of the votes cast.

The core idea:

• A group of voters that wins, say, 30% of the vote should be able to elect roughly 30% of the representatives.
• Representation is measured across a body (a council, legislature, or multi-seat district), not a single office.
• The focus is on who gets a seat, not just on how a single winner is chosen.

This is why PR is usually discussed in the context of multi-winner elections — races where several seats are filled at once.

What Ranked Choice Voting Means

FairVote describes ranked choice voting as a system that makes elections fairer for all voters. Voters have more voice, with the freedom to rank candidates in order of preference: first, second, third, and so forth.

Key features:

• Voters rank candidates rather than picking just one.
• If no candidate has a majority, the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated and those ballots transfer to the voter's next choice, until a winner emerges.
• RCV can be used in single-winner races (like a mayoral election) or in multi-winner races.

RCV's main promise is that voters can support their preferred candidate without worrying as much about "wasting" a vote or creating a "spoiler" effect, and candidates have an incentive to appeal broadly for second- and third-place votes.

The Key Differences

The two are related but not interchangeable. You can have RCV without proportional outcomes (a single-winner RCV race still elects just one person). You can also pursue proportional outcomes using other mechanisms. Where they overlap is proportional ranked choice voting, which FairVote lists as a resource topic — using ranked ballots in multi-winner elections to produce proportional representation.

Why the Distinction Matters

If your concern is "my vote feels wasted" or "a minor candidate spoils the race," RCV is the relevant reform. If your concern is "this community has 25% of the voters but zero seats," proportional representation is the relevant reform. FairVote frames RCV as lowering barriers for underrepresented communities to win representation, and frames PR as ensuring every voice is heard through proportional seat allocation — two related but distinct claims.

Where to Learn More

FairVote's resources section covers ranked choice voting, proportional representation, and other election topics, including:

• Research reports
• Data on RCV
• RCV "how to's" and ballot tools
• Data on proportional RCV

For the 2026 elections, FairVote notes that Alaska and Maine will use ranked choice voting in November, along with 13 cities and counties — a concrete example of RCV in practice, distinct from the broader PR discussion.

Ranked choice voting (RCV) will be on the ballot in Alaska and Maine in November 2026, according to FairVote, along with 13 cities and counties. That means if you live in one of those jurisdictions, you may be asked to rank candidates in order of preference rather than pick just one — and the way your ballot is counted will differ from a standard plurality election. Below is what FairVote's homepage confirms about the 2026 landscape, plus how to find details for your specific area.

What FairVote says about 2026

FairVote's homepage highlights a page titled "Ranked choice voting in the 2026 elections," with this summary:

• Alaska and Maine will use ranked choice voting in November 2026.
• 13 cities and counties will also use RCV in that cycle.

FairVote does not list those 13 localities by name on the homepage itself. To get the specific jurisdictions, you would follow the "Learn More" link on that page or check FairVote's research and resource sections.

Why this matters for voters

Under RCV, you rank candidates as first, second, third, and so forth. FairVote describes the effect this way: voters "have more voice, with the freedom to rank candidates in order of preference." The stated goal is to reduce the "spoiler" problem — the concern that voting for a preferred candidate could inadvertently help elect someone you oppose.

FairVote's homepage illustrates this with a 2026 Alaska example: "Dan Sullivan faces Dan Sullivan for Alaska Senate seat," noting that with ranked choice voting, Alaskans "don't need to worry about 'spoilers.'"

How to find out if your election uses RCV

1. Check FairVote's 2026 RCV page. The homepage links to "Ranked choice voting in the 2026 elections" under the heading "Learn More." That is the entry point for the state and local list.
2. Look at your sample ballot or voter guide. If your jurisdiction uses RCV, the ballot instructions will tell you to rank candidates rather than select one.
3. Use FairVote's resources. The site offers "RCV 'how to's' and ballot tools," plus data on RCV and proportional RCV, for jurisdiction-level detail.

Where to go for more detail

FairVote's resources section includes:

FairVote also publishes news updates — the homepage references a "FairVote news update: Sep. 21, 2026," described as covering "the movement for better elections" from Alaska to Oklahoma.

The bottom line

For the 2026 elections, FairVote confirms RCV use in Alaska, Maine, and 13 cities and counties. If you want the exact list of those localities or want to understand how your ballot will work, start with FairVote's 2026 RCV page and its RCV data and ballot-tool resources.