Statement in Support of Ranked Choice Voting for Richmond City Council

FairVote Virginia fully supports the ordinance proposing Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for Future City Council elections in Richmond, Virginia.

Ranked Choice Voting is a better way to run local elections. RCV rewards candidates with broad appeal who are able to build consensus and it ensures that the winner has support from the majority of voters. RCV eliminates the "spoiler effect" when three or more candidates are running for the same office. Cities that use RCV elect candidates that are more reflective of the communities they will serve.

In localities that have adopted ranked choice voting, polling has shown that most voters understand RCV, and would be willing to use it again.

Citizen advocates have been working for over 2 years to bring a broad coalition of civic organizations and voters together around this simple reform that can improve elections.

FairVote Virginia, Richmond Crusade for Voters, the League of Women Voters, Sierra Club local Falls of the James Chapter, UpVote Virginia and other organizations have endorsed RCV.

We would love to see Richmond join many other cities across the US, in adopting RCV for city council.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Melson

President, FairVote Virginia