Questions about RCV in Illinois

  • Where is ranked choice voting currently used?

    RCV is already used in Evanston for local elections and in our state capital, Springfield, for overseas and military voters participating in local elections. Nationally, it's used in Maine and Alaska, as well as several municipalities, including New York City, San Francisco, Minneapolis, and more.

  • What is the process for adopting RCV in Illinois?

    For any level of government to use RCV would require either state legislation or a local referendum. Some local governments would need a change in state law while others could use RCV in local elections (mayor, city or town council, etc.) through a referendum.

  • Are there any current efforts to implement RCV in Illinois?

    Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers and partner organizations, the city Evanston officially adopted ranked choice voting for all local elections in November 2022. They've set the stage for election reform in Illinois, and your town could be next!

  • Who supports RCV in Illinois?

    These are the state-level officials who support RCV in Illinois (as of April 2021):

    State Senate: 

    • Laura Murphy, 28th District
    • Mike Simmons, 7th District
    • Scott Bennett, 52nd District
    • Robert Peters, 13th District
    • Ann Gillespie, 27th District
    • Laura Fine, 9th District
    • Sara Feigenholtz, 6th District
    • Cristina H. Pacione-Zayas

    State House of Representatives: 

    • Jaime Andrade, 40th District

     

    These are the Chicago officials who support RCV (as of April 2023):

    Chicago Alderpersons: 

    • Daniel La Spata, 1st Ward
    • Lamont Robinson, 4th Ward
    • Desmon Yancy, 5th Ward
    • Jeanette Taylor, 20th Ward
    • Ronnie Mosley, 21st Ward
    • Michael Rodriguez, 22nd Ward
    • Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th Ward
    • Jessica Fuentes, 26th Ward
    • Ruth Cruz, 30th Ward
    • Scott Waguespack, 32nd Ward
    • Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, 33rd Ward
    • Bill Conway, 34th Ward
    • Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, 35th Ward
    • Gilbert Villegas, 36th Ward
    • Andre Vasquez, 40th Ward
    • Brendan Reilly, 42nd Ward
    • Timmy Knudsen, 43rd Ward
    • Angela Clay, 46th Ward
    • Matt Martin, 47th Ward
    • Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, 48th Ward
    • Maria Hadden, 49th Ward

     

    Chicago Mayor:

    Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson is also a supporter of ranked choice voting.