New studies show that ranked choice voting incentivizes elected officials to
work together on the issues that matter to voters. Donate Today Dear
John,

Want our elected officials to govern more effectively? Part of the answer lies
in improving the way we vote. If we give political candidates better incentives
when they’re running for office, they’ll govern better, too.

Two academic studies published this month show that this idea is working in
practice –ranked choice voting(RCV) is leading to elected officials acting in a
more bipartisan way.

* In Alaska, which started using open primaries and ranked choice voting for
general elections in 2022,researchers foundthe system provided more choice
for voters and impacted both electoral outcomes and public policy. Winning
candidates have been more likely to work across the aisle, with cross-party
majority caucuses emerging to lead both the State House and State Senate.
* In Maine's swing U.S. House district, researchers (including FairVote's own
Rachel Hutchinson)foundthat bipartisan bill cosponsorship increased after the
adoption of RCV. The bottom line? Ranked choice voting improves how
politicians govern.

I also wanted to share two exciting new columns on Alaska’s improved governance
since implementing RCV, from The Washington Post’s Karen Tumulty and Alaska
State Rep. Zack Fields:

* In the Washington Post, Tumultywrites thatranked choice voting “is a
guardrail against extremism in both parties” and that Alaska Senator Lisa
Murkowski’s independence “makes the case for RCV.” Americans “should take
another look at ranked choice voting — a better alternative than the
polarizing process they now use to choose those who claim to represent them.”
* In Governing,Fieldsinvites readersto “imagine a country where policymakers
routinely work across party lines rather than one in which extremist politics
dominate governance. We can rebuild that America. Alaska shows it is
possible.”

Finally, I wanted to share anew webpagecelebrating a bipartisan group of members
of Congress who have stood up for election reforms – Sen. Murkowski, Maryland
Rep. Jamie Raskin, Virginia Rep. Don Beyer, Maine Sen. Angus King, and New
Mexico Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández. We hope you’ll check out the page, and learn
more about these elected leaders who support reform.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message. Stay tuned for more updates
on ranked choice voting in the coming days and weeks.

Best,
Brian Cannon
FairVote Action Chief Program Officer

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