An initiative to allow ranked-choice voting in D.C. elections may appear on the Nov. 5 ballot for D.C. voters.
Ranked-choice voting is a method in which voters select a first-choice candidate and rank four more candidates. If a single candidate fails to win a majority of the vote, then the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated and the votes are redistributed based on voters’ next-ranked candidates. This continues until one candidate receives a majority of the votes.
The ballot measure for ranked-choice voting is known as Initiative 83, which the organization Make All Votes Count DC proposed. Ranked-choice voting has been used in over 50 city elections across the country and statewide elections in Alaska and Maine.
The proposers point to election results that show ranked-choice voting elects more women and people of color and is easy for voters to understand. Make All Votes Count hopes that ranked-choice voting in D.C. will have similar results by reducing pressure to vote for “the devil they know,” and by pushing city-wide politicians to campaign beyond their base.
Lisa D.T. Rice, a political strategist and the official proposer of the initiative, hopes that young voters will be excited to rank their choices.
“We deserve a better system. Our current system consistently benefits entrenched politicians with deep pockets; very much not serving the younger demographic,” Rice said.
Initiative 83 will also permit voters who are not registered with political parties to vote in partisan primary elections. The D.C. Democratic Party opposes the initiative because they say semi-closed primaries violate D.C.’s Home Rule Act, which states that city politicians be elected on a partisan basis. The D.C. Democratic Party has an active lawsuit against the city government to dismiss the Board of Elections’ findings that Initiative 83 is “proper subject matter” and can continue to the ballot.
The organization, Vote No On Initiative 83, counters Make All Votes Count’s claims that ranked-choice voting will help elect more women and people of color.
“Electing women of color and people of color is not an issue in the District of Columbia. The Council of the District of Columbia is the most diverse elected council in the metropolitan area and perhaps in the nation,” Vote No On Initiative 83’s website says.
The organization said ranked-choice voting has failed to gain traction because it’s difficult to understand, and has negative effects on minority voters. The organization points to uneasiness towards the process in Arlington, V.A., which implemented ranked-choice voting for elections in June 2023 but opted not to continue with the practice, citing confusion for voters. Arlington has since switched back to ranked-choice voting for the 2024 general election.
Rice said any claim that ranked-choice voting discriminates against low-income voters is a “tired trope, a dog whistle intended to frighten voters, which should be retired.”
Rice is certain that D.C. voters will have no problem adjusting, citing familiarity with the ranked-choice process.
“Some low-income voters have to use ranking to choose housing for the D.C. housing voucher system,” Rice said. “Parents have to rank schools in our public schooling system. Ranking is already a natural part of how we make decisions, and people, no matter their class, are capable of ranking their choices. Claims like these are classist and insulting.”
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly said the measure will appear on the ballot in November. The article was updated to reflect that the measure still needs to qualify for the ballot.
This article was edited by Abigail Hatting, Abigail Turner and Abigail Pritchard. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks and Ariana Kavoossi.
