Voter Choice Arizona Mission Statement 

"Improve our elections so that voters have more choice and more voice, for better governance and a better Arizona." 

Where:

  • “improve our elections” means implementing RCV and maybe other reforms  
  • “more choice” refers specifically to Ranked Choice  
  • “more voice” means these reforms increase the power of voters in relation to big money, lobbying, etc. and also possibly the party duopoly status quo (gerrymandering, etc.)  
  • “better governance” means with these reforms, elected officials will be more likely to do what is good for voters , representative democracy 
  • “better Arizona” implies that better state & local government will improve things for people living here  

 

The Case for Ranked Choice Voting

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is a small change to the way we vote that produces big improvements to the election process.

On the ballot you rank candidates in the order you prefer (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.). If your first-choice candidate does not receive enough votes, your vote counts towards your second choice and so on, until a candidate has a majority. Because of this, RCV ensures that your vote counts every time.  

Benefits: 

  • Guarantees the winner has majority support 
  • Increases competition and empowers voters with more choices 
  • Reduces negative campaigning 
  • Avoids the "lesser of two evils" dilemma and "spoiler” candidates 
  • Eliminates Run-Off elections, saving taxpayer money  

 

How Does Ranked Choice Voting Work?

Here's a sample ballot. This can be expanded to any number of candidates, and also enables write-ins. 

 

If a candidate obtains a majority (more than 50%) of first-choice votes, they win outright. If no candidate gets a majority, the one who got the fewest votes is identified, and each of those candidate’s ballots is redistributed to the voter's second-choice pick.

If that was your vote it still counts: it just moves to your second-choice candidate. That process continues if necessary until there is a candidate who has the majority of votes.

Need more? Check out this video! Ranked Choice Voting Video