What do Voters Think of Ranked Choice Voting?

// Published April 15, 2015

Ohio Voters 2008

Voters line up to vote in Ohio, 2008 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Voters in at least 10 U.S. cities currently vote using ranked choice voting (RCV).  As part of the RCV Civility project, we're getting a better idea of the experiences of these voters in RCV elections. 

The Eagleton Poll, with Professor Caroline J. Tolbert and Professor Todd Donovan of Western Washington University, has conducted two rigorous independent opinion polls exploring voters' experiences in local campaigns and elections.

  • In November 2013, 2,400 likely voters were surveyed in 10 cities. Three cities had just held local elections using RCV (Minnesota's Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as Cambridge, Mass.); and seven control cities had used plurality voting in their November elections.
  • In November 2014, over 2,400 likely voters from eleven cities were surveyed for their views on the conduct of local elections. Four California Bay Area cities (BerkeleyOaklandSan Francisco and San Leandro) that had just held local RCV elections were polled, as were seven California control cities.

Both surveys found voters in RCV cities understood RCV, supported its use and thought candidates were less negative and critical of each other.  For a summary download our report on RCV in cities

 Explore the latest 2014 poll results by clicking on the button below. 

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Explore findings from the surveys: