Ranked-Choice Voting:
A Smarter Way for Us to Vote

1. RCV is too complicated. Studies have shown that voters find ranked-choice voting instructions easy to understand. There’s nothing hard about ranking your first choice, your second choice, and your third choice. It’s as simple as choosing your favorite snack and having a back-up choice if you can’t have your favorite. The computer does the rest. A video explaining the process is here.
   

2. The 2010 and 2022 Oakland elections supposedly proved ranked-choice voting is a bad idea. But here are the facts about those past Oakland instant-runoffs.
   

3. Candidates and voters can “game” the RCV system. Ranked-choice elections in the USA and internationally show that it is actually very hard to game this system. While no voting system is perfect, Alameda’s current plurality system offers more opportunities for gaming the system. With plurality voting, people often support a candidate they have been told is likely to win, even when their true preference is for another candidate. There is an insidious common wisdom that voters shouldn’t “waste” their vote on a candidate who “can’t win.” Lopsided expenditures and phony slate mailers add to the perception of invincibility. Sometimes voters vote for a candidate they don’t want, just to stop the “front-runner” from winning. None of this gaming is necessary under RCV. Every voter can vote their true preference because every vote counts under ranked-choice.
   

4. It is more difficult to run a campaign using the RCV system. Running a ranked-choice campaign is different than running an old-style campaign, but it is definitely not harder. This is why candidates and campaign managers are offered training on how to run RCV campaigns. In a ranked-choice campaign, mudslinging could cause a candidate to lose, while talking about issues and asking people for their #2 and even #3 votes will help you win. Candidates do not have to raise as much money, and often work together if they are politically close. When electing two council members at once, candidates can target a constituency and focus their efforts there, and win election to the council. There are no separate runoff elections either. Overall, it is much nicer to run in ranked-choice campaign than to run under the current plurality-at-large system.
   

5. Unintended consequences happen under the RCV system. Voters who are unhappy with the winning candidate sometimes blame it on the ranked-choice voting system. However, the problem they point to is the candidate, not the election system.
   

6. Splitting Alameda into voting districts would solve its antiquated voting system. Alameda’s current “winner-take-all” plurality elections allow candidates to win without the support of most voters. This would also be true if a plurality-by-district system is used. While district elections offer some benefits, when officials represent a small area of the city under district elections, they often fight for policies that favor that area rather than the entire city, and lines need to be redrawn as populations shift. Therefore, we recommend at-large proportional RCV for Alameda, not districts.
   

Get more info on ranked-choice voting from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.

• ​RCV elections benefit candidates and voters of color: Candidates of color can build strong support among voters outside their traditional political bases (which RCV incentivizes) and benefit from round-by-round counting in RCV races, which translates to more victories for candidates of color. Voters of color tend to rank more candidates than White voters. In precincts with more voters of color, voters rank a higher percentage of candidates, indicating a willingness among communities of color to engage with the ranked ballot. In the 2020 mayoral election in Berkeley, CA, for example, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and Hispanic/Latino voters were most likely to indicate their preferences on a majority of available rankings on their ballots. Candidates pay no penalty when they run against opponents of the same race or ethnicity. Black candidates are more likely than other candidates to challenge people of the same race or ethnicity, but under RCV they don’t pay a penalty for doing so. Instead of dividing community support, Black candidates who run against other Black candidates in RCV elections have a higher win rate. Candidates of other racial or ethnic backgrounds also experienced an increased win rate when they ran against candidates of the same racial or ethnic background. See Ranked Choice Voting Elections Benefit Candidates and Voters of Color.
  

• Women and people of color continue to run and win in higher numbers in ranked-choice elections: RCV lowers the barriers women and people of color often face by mitigating the risk of vote-splitting in a crowded field of candidates, incentivizing issue-based and positive campaigning, shortening costly election seasons, and ensuring majority, not plurality, wins. ​

• As of 2016, women held 59% of the 53 Bay Area offices elected by ranked-choice voting, and people of color held 60%. Four years later, FairVote’s research shows that ranked-choice voting has continued to have a positive impact on descriptive representation in the United States, as women and people of color continue to run and win in higher numbers in ranked-choice elections. See Report Illustrates How Ranked Choice Voting Helps Elect More Women.
  

• At the start of 2020, half of all mayors and nearly half (49%) of all city council members elected in cities that use ranked-choice voting are women.
  

• Results in higher voter participation rates. In 2017-2018, turnout in all ten jurisdictions holding ranked-choice voting elections surpassed projections. San Francisco had more voters in their RCV election for mayor than for the gubernatorial and Senate election not using ranked-choice voting. It was the second highest vote total in San Francisco mayoral election history.
  

• Voters more fully express their will. Ranking their choices, voters can freely vote for the person who they most support, even if that candidate isn’t favored to win. There are no wasted votes.
  

• Eliminates the spoiler effect. Longshot candidates do not draw votes away from a candidate who is preferred by most voters.
  

• Encourages more positive, issue-focused campaigns. RCV changes incentives for candidates. Instead of distancing themselves from their opponents, alienating their opponents’ supporters, candidates can try to secure 2nd and 3rd choice votes by finding common ground with supporters of their opponents.
  

• More accountability for politicians. In our current system, politicians can ignore large swaths of the electorate because they can win without a majority. In contrast, RCV requires politicians to have broad appeal to reach voters that are not in their immediate base. RCV elections are often more civil and candidates run more issue-based campaigns to receive voters’ second-choice votes. In other words, politicians must now be accountable to the majority of the population in order to maintain office.
  

• Minority party supporters get a fair voice. Minority party voters, who have previously been shut out by the winner-take-all system, get a fair voice in our elections. RCV encourages candidates to reach beyond their traditional base of supporters to secure a voter’s backup choices. Also, minority party voters in RCV elections can vote for their real choice without the risk of helping elect their least desired candidate.

1. What is wrong with the way we vote in Alameda?

Because of the way we currently vote in a “winner-take-all” plurality system, our government represents only the most dominant group, leaving members of our community with no influence on policy. When election outcomes reflect more perspectives, we get a government that better represents us all.

2. How likely is ranked-choice voting to garner support in Alameda?

It is very possible. There has been so much interest, that the Alameda League of Women Voters resolved to get it on the ballot. Also, ranked-choice vote passed with over 73% support in Albany, 69% in Oakland before that, and 72% in Berkeley before that. It is a broadly popular reform, popularity that accrues to leaders that support it. The benefits of proportional representation are why the California Democratic Party, the League of Women Voters, and the Sierra Club each have positions in favor.

3. Who is elected under the City Charter in Alameda and what is the current process?

Alameda elects its mayor, city council members, city treasurer, and city auditor by a plurality “winner-take-all” system. Any number of candidates can run. There is no primary or run-off election, so candidates can be elected with much less than a majority. The mayor, treasurer, and auditor are elected every four years. Two members of the city council are elected for four-year terms every two years. Ranked-choice voting will not change that.

4. How are candidates elected in a ranked-choice election?

Instead of voting for one candidate, voters get to rank their top choices in order of preference. On Election Day, if no candidate receives a clear majority of first-choice votes, voters’ other choices are tallied. Watch a video that explains the ranked-choice voting process.

5. Must I rank three candidates for each office?

No. A voter may--but is not required to--rank three choices for each office. If there are fewer than three candidates for the same office, or to rank fewer than three candidates, you may leave any remaining columns blank. However, we recommend that you fully rank the ballot so that if your first choice does not win your vote will be transferred to your second choice or to your third choice if your first choice does not win. Leaving your second and third choice blank does not help your first choice.

6. If I really want my first-choice candidate to win, should I rank the candidate as my first, second and third choice?

No. Ranking a candidate more than once does not benefit the candidate. If a voter ranks one candidate as the voter’s first, second and third choice, it is the same as if the voter leaves the second or third choice blank. In other words, if the candidate is eliminated that candidate is no longer eligible to receive second or third choice votes.

7. Does my vote still count if I vote for the same candidate three times?

Yes. Your vote will only count once.

8. Can I give candidates the same ranking?

No. If a voter gives more than one candidate the same ranking, the vote cannot be counted. Only one candidate can represent the voter's first, second, or third choice.

9. Can I write a candidate's name on my ballot in any column?

Yes. Each column provides space for qualified write-in candidates. Only qualified write-in candidates can receive votes. After writing the name of the qualified candidate, be sure to fill in the bubble next to the space.

10. Will there be a subsequent run-off?

No. Ranked-choice voting eliminates the need for run-off elections, which are costly and tend to have a small voter turnout.

11. How is the ranked-choice ballot marked?

The ranked-choice ballot card is designed in a side-by-side column format and lists the names of all of the candidates in three repeating columns. This format allows a voter to select a first-choice candidate in the first column, a second-choice candidate in the second column, and a third-choice candidate in the third column. Voters will fill in the bubble in the corresponding column next to the name of the candidate they choose.

12. Who opposes ranked-choice voting?

• People who benefit from the current system where lopsided expenditures add to the perception of invincibility, and who tell voters not to “waste” their vote on a candidate who “can’t win.”
  

• Voters who are unhappy about candidates who have won, when the problem is the candidate, not the election system.
  

• Candidates who do not want to have to appeal to a broad range of voters or to ask to be ranked as second or third choice if not the voter’s first choice.

13. What if I have further questions or want to get involved?

If you have further questions about ranked-choice voting, please call the Alameda County Registrar of Voters Office at (510) 272-6933.

If you want to help, please fill out our Ranked-Choice Input form.

To join this list of supporters, please fill out our Ranked-Choice Input form.

Groups

League of Women Voters

Sierra Club

Asian American Action Fund of California

Californians for Electoral Reform

Temple Israel of Alameda

Indivisible East Bay

CalRCV

Montclair Women's Club

Community Leaders

Richard Bangert -- Alameda Point Environmental Report

Paul Beusterien -- 2022 Candidate for Alameda City Council

Janani Ramachandran – Social justice lawyer, 2021 candidate for Assembly

Dan Wood – Alameda Progressives (Organization listed for identification only)

Reverend Michael Yoshii -- Advocate for a wide range of social justice issues

Alameda Citizens

Kathy Anderson

Christie Blackman

Kevis Brownson

Christopher Buckley

Karen Butter

Jeff Cambra

Josh and Genevieve Cohen

Irene Dieter

Sheila Durkin

Catherine Egelhoff

Shubha Fanse

Paul Foreman

Dorothy Freeman

Doris Gee

Susan Hauser

Laura Kenley

CJ Kinsley

​Kelsey Lappa

Ashley Lorden

Keasha Martindill

Kate Quick

Paula Rainey

Liz Rogers

​Roan Byrne-Sarno

William Smith

Eric Strimling

Julia Teitelbaum

Amos White​​

Notable East Bay Supporters of Ranked-Choice Voting

Alameda County Democratic Party

Bay Rising

East Bay Times Newspaper

Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson

(The former) U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee

See our archive of letters that support ranked-choice voting from February 2022 through February 2024.