Women and the Ranked Elections That Put Them in Power

This article by Haly Jungwirth is published by Fair Vote. Here is an excerpt:

Across the country, ranked choice voting (RCV) is reducing the chances of vote splitting and encouraging women and people of color to run for office, regardless of whether other women or people of color are in the race. With RCV, nobody has to “wait their turn” (a common reason women cite about delaying or even making their decision to run.) During Women’s History Month we’re highlighting the achievements of women who have won RCV elections across America. We’re excited to celebrate a few of the many women who have been elected with RCV to serve their communities and hopefully inspire even more women to run. 

New York, New York

After almost two-thirds of voters supported the reform in a 2019 ballot measure, New York City held its first citywide RCV election in June 2021. As a result, the newest City Council is the most diverse in New York City’s history. For the first time, women hold a majority of seats (31 out of 51) in a legislative body that represents 8.4 million people (more than 38 states!). 

RCV fosters intersectional representation, so it’s not just women who benefit from RCV but women of color specifically. Women like Crystal Hudson and Kristin Richardson Jordan, the first openly gay Black women in the City Council; Jennifer Guttiérrez, the first Colombian American council member; Shahana Hanif, the first Muslim woman in the City Council; Julie Won and Linda Lee, the first two Korean American council members; and Sandra Ung, the daughter of Cambodian refugees, and one of two South Asian Americans in the City Council, are all examples RCV’s unique ability to diversify the halls of power. Approximately 35 of the incoming City Council members identify as people of color, a jump from 26 from the previous Council. 

Find the full article here.