How Will RCV Bring Fairness to Chicago Elections?

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  Instant majority winners

  Chicago requires winning candidates to earn a majority of votes. But it currently takes a runoff election to get there. RCV empowers voters to determine a majority winner directly from a multicandidate election without having to go to a runoff. (That’s why RCV is sometimes called “instant runoff voting.”)

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  More positive campaigns

  Candidates need to appeal to a broader coalition of voters to compete for second and third choice votes. It’s been shown that RCV promotes more civil campaigns, avoiding those persistent attack ads we’ve become too used to.

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  Eliminates "wasted" votes

  RCV empowers voters to vote with their hearts and their heads and not worry about “vote-splitting.” By ranking candidates, voters won’t have to choose between candidates they truly believe in and those they think can win.

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  Promotes diversified candidates

  RCV makes it easier for women and candidates of color to run for office and win without the concern of being perceived as “spoiler candidates.” And that will better reflect who we are as a city, with candidates representing diverse backgrounds, demographics and political viewpoints.

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  Improves participation

  When people know their votes have more impact, they are more likely to participate in elections. And RCV avoids the need for runoff elections, which traditionally have very low voter turnout.

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  Saves money

  Chicago’s 2023 runoff election cost the city $19.8 million. RCV will not only enable Chicago to avoid these costs, it will help candidates develop more accurate budgets since they will know exactly when their campaigns will end.