Ranked Choice Voting Increases Diversity in Local Elections

Winning the vote for women and people of color were landmark achievements and necessary to advancing the promise of democracy for all citizens. Yet, decades later, we see that gaining access to the vote alone has not been nearly enough to ensure equal access and representation. This problem is not the fault of any single elected official or elected body, but rather that of a system that makes it very difficult for people in underrepresented communities to run for and win office. As communities seek to dismantle systemic racism in the work of local government, the way we elect our local leaders must be a part of that conversation.  

Unrepresentative Primaries Disadvantage Diverse Candidates and Voters 

One of the biggest structural problems is the way we elect local city councils in Minnesota and in cities across the country; we have two rounds of elections with an abysmally low turnout primary. In Minnesota, the primary-general election process has led to huge disparities in voter turnout because the primary is, by design, exclusive and discriminatory. While it is an election purportedly open to everyone, it is, in reality, a high-level filtering step in which a tiny sliver (about 5-10%) of voters — who are older, whiter and more affluent than voters in the general — decide which candidates make it through to the General Election.

Here is the turnout breakdown for Bloomington’s municipal elections: 

Year  |    Primary  |  General

2013  |      4.7% |    26.8%

2015  |      4.9% |    14.4%

2017  |      6.8% |    25.0%

2019  |     11.9% |     31.7%

Furthermore, primary turnout is disproportionately lower in wards with a higher number of people of color. In Bloomington’s recent mayoral election, which was the city’s first open race for mayor in 20 years, primary turnout in the city’s most diverse ward, Ward 4, was just 8% compared to nearly 12% for the city overall. It jumped to 24%, or three times higher in the General Election, compared to a 2.7 times increase in turnout overall. 

The same trend was true in Minneapolis before Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) was enacted. General election turnout was nearly three times greater than primary turnout (8% compared to 21% in 2005) in Ward 5 which is predominantly people of color. This compared to general election turnout two times greater for the city overall (15% to 30%). When RCV was implemented in San Francisco in 2004, effective voter participation in the November election increased by more than 300% in some of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods.

Increasing effective voter participation in this way is especially key for communities of color who are underrepresented in primaries (or in the case of San Francisco, runoffs). With RCV, a greater number of voters that are more broadly representative of the community are choosing our local officials. A  2016 study of RCV in California shows how RCV results in greater representation by women and people of color. In fact, women of color in particular were not only more likely to run under RCV, they were more likely to win. Last year, London Breed, who was first elected to the San Francisco city council under RCV in 2012, was elected as the city’s first Black female mayor in a highly contested RCV race.

RCV Fosters More Diverse and Inclusive Elections

The local primary occurs in early August, before most voters are aware that there is an election happening, and is given little media attention. This costly, low-turnout, and unrepresentative step in the process is a deterrent for new voices in general and for underrepresented communities in particular. Candidates must be able to raise money and mount a campaign to get the word out by early August, just to get through the eye-of-the-needle primary that is woefully unrepresentative of the city’s voters. 

Bloomington’s Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) comprise 23% of the city's total population, but only four candidates of color (5% of total candidates) have run for city council since 2007. One was elected in 2013 and is still on the council. Women are 51% of Bloomington’s population. Since 2007, 63 men and 12 women have run for mayor or council. Four women (5%) have been elected.

As our community continues to become more diverse (52% of Bloomington K-12 students are students of color), our city must find ways for the BIPOC community to have a seat at the table and have their voices heard. In the wake of the pain and reckoning following George Floyd’s murder, Bloomington leaders need to make this a priority.

Eliminating the primary and replacing it with RCV has proven to rapidly yield more elected officials from historically underrepresented communities not only in California, but in Minnesota as well:

  • In Minneapolis, where RCV has been used since 2009: 

    • The council is the most ethnically diverse and gender balanced in the city’s history.

    • The first Somali-American, Latina, and Hmong candidates were elected to the city council in 2013.

    • In 2017, the number of candidates who are women, people of color or from different political parties was at an historic high.

    • In 2017, competitive candidates of color ran in the mayoral race and 8 of 13 council seats; competitive women candidates ran for mayor and 11 of 13 council seats.

  • In St. Paul, where RCV was introduced in 2011:

    • The council is the most ethnically diverse and gender balanced in the city’s history.

    • In 2013, RCV elected the city’s first Hmong city council member with second-choice votes. The second-placed finisher, also a candidate of color, was selected to be the councilmember’s chief aide. 

    • In 2015, Rebecca Noecker was elected with second-choice votes to become the ward’s first female councilmember. 

    • In 2017, Melvin Carter became the city’s first African American mayor in a highly competitive race.

    • In 2019, Nelsie Yang, a Hmong American woman, was elected in Ward 6 and Dai Thao was re-elected in Ward 1. Both were competitive RCV races.  

Given the positive impact of RCV on increasing diversity in local elections, it is not surprising that RCV is now a sought-after remedy in Voting Rights Act lawsuits. 

Summary

RCV combines the primary and general election into a single election in November when turnout is highest and most diverse. RCV is more fair, just and inclusive because it gives more choice to voters at the ballot box, and more people participate in the entire process and are able to vote on all the candidates at once. 

RCV levels the playing field. All candidates are on the ballot in November, giving new candidates more time to campaign and allowing a broader, more diverse electorate the chance to vote. Voters can express their true preference knowing that their second choice will count if their first choice doesn’t continue in the runoff. RCV allows candidates to run without fear of being eliminated in a low-turnout primary, garner votes from residents who are no longer afraid of splitting or wasting their vote, and build coalitions to win. 

Voters across all racial, gender and age groups find RCV simple to use and they prefer it over the old system. See the Bloomington RCV FAQ for more information about voters’ experiences and satisfaction using RCV. 

More Information

For additional information and perspective about the impact of RCV on inclusion and diversity in local elections, see the following resources:

Laura Calbone