Ranked choice voting (RCV), also known as instant runoff voting, allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference: first, second, third and so forth. In races with more than 2 candidates, ballots that do not help voters’ top choices win count for their next choice. Some states and municipalities have implemented RCV. Sarasota passed RCV, but in 2022 Florida legislature banned RCV.
In 2019, Maine was the first state to pass RCV, however implementation was not effective until after the 2020 election. What did it take to get RCV passed by the legislature? How did the implementation go? How do voters feel about the system after use in an election?
We are very pleased to have two excellent and qualified speakers on Rank Choice Voting which will not only impart the basics of Ranked Choice Voting and the current status and future prospects, but we will also hear from a key player in Maine, the first state to implement Ranked Choice Voting.
Speakers:
Vilia Johnson is Vice President of the League of Women Voters of Sarasota County and Team Leader for Advocacy. She also leads the Florida Speaker’s Bureau for Rank My Vote Florida.
Anna Kellar is a civic leader who is uniquely positioned to speak about the Maine RCV experience. She leads Democracy Maine, an innovative collaboration that includes the League of Women Voters of Maine, Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, and Maine Students Vote.