Better Elections Rhode Island

Help Rhode Island bring RCV to Presidential Primaries. Together, we can reduce wasted votes and curb toxicity in our elections.

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RCV benefits voters and candidates by:

With RCV, candidates have an incentive to appeal to more voters and try to earn their second and third-choice votes. This discourages candidates from using negative campaign tactics and bombarding voters with ads that only appeal to extreme factions and exclude or turn off potential voters. RCV will return our elections to a competition of ideas, instead of a race to the bottom, by encouraging candidates to build support among to a wider group of voters to win.

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Discouraging negative campaigning

RCV encourages more candidates to run because voters are free to vote for their true choices instead of feeling pressure to vote strategically for incumbents or more well-known candidates. Many potential candidates never enter the race out of a fear that they may split the vote with other candidates of the same gender, race, or ethnicity. RCV would prevent this division by allowing voters more nuance than a simple “yes” or “no” vote. RCV also strengthens presidential nominees for general elections by ensuring candidates have support from a wider swath of the party.

Giving voters more choices

In our current election system, candidates are more focused on convincing voters NOT to vote for an opponent rather than making the case for why they themselves are a better choice. Under RCV, however, voters don’t have to choose between voting for the candidate they really want and a candidate who is more favored to win. With RCV, voters no longer feel like they have to vote strategically and can instead comfortably back their true preference.&nbsp;Voters no longer have to throw their vote away on the candidate favored to win by pollsters and the media. With RCV, voters can back the candidate they truly want to win knowing their second choice will still matter if their first choice doesn’t get enough support. In the end, the winning candidate will carry the true support of the electorate.

Minimizing strategic voting

Through RCV, military and overseas voters can ensure their votes aren’t wasted if the candidate they voted for drops out or isn’t viable by their state’s primary election day. In crowded primaries where candidates can drop out on a whim, RCV offers certainty that early votes matter. Votes for dropouts or nonviable candidates are redistributed to the voter’s next highest-ranked choice.

Increasing participation from military and overseas voters

Under our current system, tens of thousands of wasted votes are cast on candidates who drop out or are no longer viable by primary day. These votes don’t count for anything. Under RCV, however, if a voter's first choice drops out or isn’t viable, their vote will be redistributed to the next highest-ranking candidate on their ballot. No matter what happens, each person’s vote matters with RCV.

Preventing wasted votes on candidates who drop out or aren’t viable

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Ranked Choice Voting fixes failures in our current election process by reducing toxic politics, encouraging greater diversity of candidates and reducing the number of wasted votes.

In an RCV presidential primary, voters have the option to rank candidates in order of preference — first, second, third, and so on. On Election Day, voters’ first choices are tallied and candidates without enough support are eliminated. Ballots with those eliminated candidates ranked first are counted again for their second choices. This process continues until the only candidates remaining are those with enough support to win delegates. As a result, RCV gives political parties a look at the real preferences of their voters.

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For the Political Parties

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Supporting local organizations include:

Better Elections RI

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Dozens of local organizations and leaders are standing together!

Mythbusting

Busted: RCV upholds the “one person, one vote” principle.&nbsp;If a voter's first choice candidate is determined to be non-viable, that voter's selection is transferred to their second choice.With RCV, every voter gets exactly one vote, and each vote is treated equally. RCV has been challenged in court several times and every time the court has come to the same conclusion: RCV gives each single vote equal weight.

The Myth: With RCV, voters get more than one vote.

Busted: In surveys, voters overwhelmingly report a strong understanding of RCV. Analysis of ballots in RCV jurisdictions demonstrates that large majorities of voters do rank their choices (as opposed to only voting for one candidate) and make few errors in doing so. Over 13 million voters in over 50 jurisdictions have had the opportunity to use RCV. The support indicated in surveys afterward was overwhelming with a huge majority of voters who participated in the ranking process looking forward to doing it again.

The Myth: RCV is difficult for voters to understand.

Busted: The Rhode Island Constitution does not block the state from using RCV in presidential preference primaries.

The Myth: RCV would be unconstitutional in Rhode Island’s presidential

Busted: RCV doesn’t elect candidates who are “everyone’s second choice” because candidates need to win some first-choice support to advance past the first elimination round.

The Myth: RCV means that everyone’s second-ranked choice will win.

Busted: &nbsp;RCV does not advantage either political party. It advantages the American voter. RCV is used in red and blue states and cities alike, and outcomes across the United States do not demonstrate any partisan bias.&nbsp; To be successful under RCV, candidates have to appeal to a broad group—not a narrow band—of voters.

The Myth: RCV is a tool to elect one political party over another

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Frequently Asked Questions

Because presidential primaries happen on different dates in different states, some voters end up casting ballots for candidates who end up dropping out by Rhode Island’s primary date or who are no longer viable. Under RCV, those votes will be transferred to their next highest-ranked candidate.

Why are some votes “wasted” in our current single-choice system?

No, they can rank some, all, one, or none.&nbsp;

Do voters have to rank all candidates on an RCV ballot?

RCV encourages candidates to appeal to voters through a competition of ideas, rather than a race to the bottom. RCV leads to positive campaign messaging by encouraging candidates to appeal to a wider group of voters to win. Negative campaigning can be a liability if it alienates potential second and third choice votes. That means fewer negative ads bombarding voters.

How does RCV reduce toxic politics?

Together, we can reduce wasted votes and curb toxicity in our elections. Rhode Island lawmakers are currently considering adopting RCV for Presidential Primaries starting in 2028. The move would ensure that Rhode Island's nominees are a true reflection of the people.