Fair Representation Spotlight: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Cambridge, Massachusetts has used the at-large form of ranked choice voting, a form of fair representation voting, to elect its City Council and School Committee since 1941. This system allows groups of like-minded voters to elect representatives in proportion to their share of the population, and has ensured fair representation of the city's political and ethnic minority groups. In February 2014, FairVote published a report on the effects this system had on the city's elections in 2013, and an op-ed in the Cambridge Chronicle discussing the use of fair representation voting in the city. See the links below for more information on fair representation voting in Cambridge.

  • See FairVote's overview of elections in Cambridge.
  • Fair representation voting has ensured consistent representation of minority groups in Cambridge.
  • Data on voter satisfaction in Cambridge shows that on average, over 90% of the city's voters elect a first or second choice candidate.
  • Analysis of the once controversial issue of rent control in Cambridge illustrates how the city's electoral system has ensured fair representation of political minority groups on the City Council.