Nevada Question 3, Top-Five Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative (2024)

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Nevada Question 3
Flag of Nevada.png
Election date
November 5, 2024
Topic
Electoral systems
Status
On the ballot
Type
Constitutional amendment		Origin
Citizens

Nevada Question 3, the Top-Five Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative, is on the ballot in Nevada as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 5, 2024.

A "yes" vote supports establishing open top-five primaries and ranked-choice voting for general elections, which would apply to congressional, gubernatorial, state executive official, and state legislative elections.

A "no" vote opposes establishing open top-five primaries and ranked-choice voting for general elections, which would apply to congressional, gubernatorial, state executive official, and state legislative elections.

In Nevada, initiated constitutional amendments need to be approved at two successive general elections. In 2022, the ballot initiative was approved as Question 3 by 52.94%-47.06%. Therefore, the ballot initiative must be approved for a second time on November 5, 2024.

Overview

How would the initiative change elections in Nevada?

If approved by voters, the initiative would establish open top-five primaries and ranked-choice voting for general elections.[1]

Under the measure, candidates would run in a single primary election, regardless of a candidate's party affiliation. The five candidates that receive the most votes would advance to the general election.[1]

At the general election, voters would elect state and federal candidates using ranked-choice voting. For state executive, state legislative, and congressional elections, voters would rank the five candidates that advanced from their top-five primaries. A candidate would need a simple majority of the vote (50%+1) to be declared the winner of an election. If no candidate wins a simple majority of the vote, the candidate with the fewest votes would be eliminated. People who voted for that candidate as their first choice would have their votes redistributed to their next choice. The tabulation process would continue as rounds until a candidate receives a majority of the vote and is declared the winner.[1]

What are the arguments for and against the initiative?

The initiative is supported by Represent.US, Institute for Political Innovation, and Vote Nevada. In support of this initiative for the 2022 ballot, Sondra Cosgrove, professor of history at the College of Southern Nevada, said that voters should have more options. “We want to have more options. We don’t want just two people moving forward from the primary to the general election. We want five people, because oftentimes when you look at the people who move forward, it’s just the people with the most money,” she said.[2]

The official argument for the initiative in 2022, which was found in the Statewide Ballot Questions 2022 Pamphlet Guide, said, "By creating an open primary, Question 3 allows all voters a voice in all those who appear on the general election ballot regardless of party affiliation. In addition to giving Nevadans more voice, Question 3 will also give voters more choice by establishing a Ranked-Choice general election system. Ranked-Choice is a simple change to our general elections that allows voters the opportunity to rank up to five candidates who best represent their positions, rather than having to choose between the 'lesser of two evils' ... This simple change encourages candidates to focus on issues that matter to the majority rather than the partisan bases of the parties."[3]

Organizations opposing the initiative include the Nevada State AFL-CIO and Americans for Tax Reform. In opposition to this initiative, Emily Persaud-Zamora, executive director of Silver State Voices, said that ranked-choice voting could be confusing and make the voting process more complicated. She said, "Ranked choice voting makes casting a ballot more time consuming, more complicated and more confusing for voters ... It will inevitably lead to increased errors. Ranked choice vote ballots are significantly more likely to be thrown out and uncounted because of those voters’ mistakes, ultimately disenfranchising more voters because of an overly complex and burdensome process."[4]

The official argument against the initiative in 2022, which was found in the Statewide Ballot Questions 2022 Pamphlet Guide, said: "Question 3’s jungle primary and confusing multi-stage general election proposal does nothing to address partisanship in Nevada’s political process, and will likely make things worse. Instead, this initiative will fundamentally damage the traditional conduct of our elections, and it could function to shut out parties entirely from running general election candidates in some races ... In addition, if Question 3 passes, independent candidates not affiliated with the political parties would be prevented from launching a campaign in the general election, and would instead have to compete directly in expensive primaries against established party candidates. Nevadans need more quality voices and ideas in politics, but this initiative actually narrows voters’ options."[3]

Do other states use ranked-choice voting?

As of 2024, Maine and Alaska both used ranked-choice voting in statewide elections, while Hawaii uses ranked-choice voting in statewide elections in certain circumstances. In 2020, Alaska voters approved Ballot Measure 2, which replaced partisan primaries with open top-four primaries for state executive, state legislative, and congressional offices, as well as establishing ranked-choice voting for general elections, including the presidential election. In 2016, Maine voters approved Question 5, a ballot measure that established a statewide system of ranked-choice voting to elect U.S. senators, U.S. representatives, the governor, state senators, and state representatives, but not for the U.S. presidential election.

Measure design

Click on the arrows (▼) below for summaries of the different provisions of the constitutional amendment.

Top-five primaries: Establishes top-five primaries for partisan office

This measure is designed to establish top-five primary elections for partisan office. This includes elections for the offices of United States Senator, United States Representative, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Controller, and State Legislators. However, this excludes the offices of President of the United States and Vice President of the United States.[1]

Under this measure, a top-five primary would replace partisan primaries with an open top-five primary. The primary would no longer elect a single candidate as the party’s candidate for the general election, but would instead narrow down the field of candidates to the top five for the general election.[1]

Under this measure, a person could become a candidate for office regardless of party affiliation or lack thereof. Any registered voter could cast a primary candidate for any candidate, regardless of the party affiliation of the voter or of the candidate.[1]

Under this measure, the five candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in the primary election would advance to the general election. If there were five or fewer candidates running for office, the primary election would still be held and the results made public. If one of the top five candidates withdraws, disqualifies, or dies after the primary election but before 5 p.m. on the fourth Friday in July, the candidate that received the next greatest number of votes at the primary election would be made a nominee and would advance to the general election.[1]

Ranked-choice voting: Establishes ranked choice voting for general elections for partisan office

Under this measure, all general elections for partisan office would be conducted by ranked-choice voting. This includes elections for the offices of United States Senator, United States Representative, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Controller, and State Legislators. However, this excludes the offices of President of the United States and Vice President of the United States.[1]

Under the measure, the ballot would have to be designed so that the voter is able to mark candidates in the order of their preference and mark as many candidates as the voter wishes, however, the voter cannot assign the same ranking to more than one candidate.[1]

When counting the ballots, the election official would initially tabulate each cast ballot as one vote for the highest-ranked candidate on that ballot, or as an inactive ballot. If a candidate is highest ranked on the majority of ballots, that candidate is elected. If no candidate is the highest ranked on a majority of ballots, the tabulation will proceed to another round. In the next round, the candidate with the fewest amount of votes would be eliminated, and the next-highest-ranked candidate on those ballots would be added to the vote totals. This process would continue until a candidate wins the majority of votes.[1]

Under this measure, a voter could choose to rank just one candidate for office, and that vote would be tabulated.[1]

Under this measure, if a voter has assigned the same ranking to more than one candidate, that ballot would be considered inactive. If a ballot skips a ranking, then the election board would count the next ranking. If the next ranking is another skipped ranking, the ballot would be considered an inactive ballot for that race. Any votes made for “none of these candidates” would be tabulated, recorded, and made public, but not counted for the purposes of ranking.[1]

If there is a tie between the final two candidates, the winner would be decided in a manner as provided by statute. If there is a tie between two candidates with the fewest votes, the eliminated candidate would be decided by lot.[1]


Text of measure

Ballot title

The official ballot title is as follows:[1]

“

Amendment to the Nevada Constitution:

Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended to allow all Nevada voters the right to participate in open primary elections to choose candidates for the general election in which all voters may then rank the remaining candidates by preference for the offices of U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Controller, Attorney General, and State Legislators?[5]

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article 5 and Article 15, Nevada Constitution

The ballot measure would amend Section 4 of Article 5 and Article 15 of the Nevada Constitution. The following underlined text would be added, and struck-through text would be deleted:[1] Note: Use your mouse to scroll over the below text to see the full text.

Article 5, Section 4

The returns of every election for United States senator and member of Congress, district and state officers, and for and against any questions submitted to the electors of the State of Nevada, voted for at the general election, shall be sealed up and transmitted to the seat of government, directed to the secretary of state, and the chief justice of the supreme court, and the associate justices, or a majority thereof, shall meet at the office of the secretary of state, on a day to be fixed by law, and open and canvass the election returns for United States senator and member of Congress, district and state officers, and for and against any questions submitted to the electors of the State of Nevada, and forthwith declare the result and publish the names of the persons elected and the results of the vote cast upon any question submitted to the electors of the State of Nevada. The persons having the highest number of votes for the respective offices as provided for and governed by Nevada law and/or Section 18 of Article 15 of this Constitution shall be declared elected, but in case any two or more have an equal and the highest number of votes for the same office, the legislature shall, by joint vote of both houses, elect one of said persons to fill said office.

Article 15, Section 14:

A plurality of votes given at an election by the people, shall constitute a choice, except as provided in Section 18 of Article 15 or where not otherwise provided by this Constitution.

Article 15, Section 17:

Top-five primary elections for partisan office.

1. Primary elections for partisan office shall be conducted as follows:

a. The primary election for partisan offices must be held on the date and time as provided by Nevada law.
b. A person may become a candidate at the primary election for partisan office regardless of the person's affiliation with a political party, or lack thereof.
c. Any registered voter may cast a primary ballot for any candidate for partisan office regardless of the political party affiliation of the voter or

any political party preference indicated by the candidate. The primary election for partisan office does not serve to determine the nominee of a political party or political group but serves only to narrow the number of candidates whose names will appear on the ballot at the general election for partisan office.

2. At a primary election for partisan office, only the names of the five candidates receiving the greatest number of votes at the primary election shall advance to the general election for partisan office. If, however, there are five or fewer candidates for a specific partisan office, the primary election for partisan office will still be held and the results made public, and all must be declared the candidates for the general election.

3. In the event of a tie for fifth place, the candidate who proceeds to the general election for partisan office will be decided by lot.

4. The ballot for the primary election must clearly delineate the partisan offices to which the top-five process provided by this section applies.

5. Immediately following the name of each candidate for a partisan office must appear the name or abbreviation of the political party with which the candidate is registered, the words "no political party" or the abbreviation "NPP," as the case may be.

6. The ballots for the primary elections for partisan office must include a conspicuously placed statement: "A candidate for partisan office may state a political party that he or she prefers. A candidate's preference does not imply that the candidate is nominated or endorsed by the party, or that the party approves of or associates with that candidate."

7. In the event that one of the five candidates who received the greatest number of votes at the primary election withdraws, is disqualified, dies, or is otherwise deemed ineligible to be elected after the primary election for partisan office but before the 5 p.m. on the fourth Friday in July, the candidate receiving the next greatest number of votes at the primary election for partisan office shall be declared a nominee, and his or her name shall be placed on the ballot at the general election for partisan office.

8. As used in this section: "Partisan office" means the Offices of United States Senator, United States Representative, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Controller, and State Legislators, and excludes the Offices of President of the United States and Vice President of the United States.

9. Implementation

a. Not later than July 1, 2025, the Legislature shall provide by law for provisions consistent with Section 17 of Article 15 of this Constitution to require top-five primary elections for partisan office.
b. Upon enactment of any law by the Legislature pursuant to Section 17 of Article 15 of this Constitution before July 1, 2025, and not later than that date, any laws, regulations, regulatory orders or other provisions which conflict with Section 17 of Article 15 of this Constitution will he void. However, the Legislature may enact legislation, in whole or in part, consistent with Section 17 of Article 15 of this Constitution that to provide top-five primary elections/or partisan office before July 1, 2025.

Article 15, Section 18:

Ranked-choice voting for general elections for partisan office.

1. All general elections for partisan office shall he conducted by ranked-choice voting.

2. The general election ballots for partisan office shall he designed so that the candidates are selected by ranked-choice voting.

3. The general election ballots for partisan office shall he designed so that at the voter is directed to mark candidates in order of preference and to mark as many choices as the voter wishes, but not to assign the same ranking to more than one candidate for the same office.

4. Immediately following the name of each candidate for a partisan office must appear the name or abbreviation the political party with the candidate is registered, the words "no political party" or the abbreviation "NPP," as the case may be.

5. The ballots for the general elections for partisan office must include a conspicuously placed statement that: "Each candidate for partisan office may state a political party that he or she prefers. A candidate's preference does not imply that the candidate is nominated or endorsed by the party, or that the party approves of or associates with that candidate."

6. When counting ballots in a general election for partisan office, the Registrar, County Clerk, or chief election official (as applicable) in each County shall initially tabulate each validly cast ballot as one vote for the highest-ranked candidate on that ballot or as an inactive ballot. If a candidate is highest-ranked on a majority of the active ballots, that candidate is elected and the tabulation is complete. If no candidate is highest-ranked on a majority of the active ballots, tabulation proceeds in sequential rounds as outlined in Section 7.

7. Tabulation proceeds in sequential rounds as follows:

a. If two or fewer continuing candidates remain, the candidate with the greatest number of votes is elected and the tabulation is complete; otherwise, the tabulation continues under (h) of this subsection.
b. The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, votes cast for the eliminated candidate shall cease counting for the eliminated candidate and shall be added to the totals of each ballot's next-highest-ranked continuing candidate or considered an inactive ballot under (8)(b) and (8)(c) of this section, and a new round begins under (7)(a) of this subsection.

8. When counting general election ballots for partisan office,

a. A voter may choose to rank just one candidate/or partisan office, and that vote will be tabulated.
b. A ballot containing an overvote shall be considered an inactive ballot once the overvote is encountered at the highest ranking for a continuing candidate.
c. If a ballot skips a ranking, then the election board shall count the next ranking. If the next ranking is another skipped ranking, the ballot shall be considered an inactive ballot/or that race.
d. Any votes for "None of These Candidates" shall be tabulated, recorded and made public, but not be counted/or the purpose of electing or ranking any candidates for partisan office.
e. In the event of a tie between the final two continuing candidates, the winner shall be decided in a manner as provided by statute.
f. In the event of a tie between two candidates with the fewest votes, the candidate eliminated shall be decided by lot.
g. An inactive ballot may not be counted for any candidate in that particular race.

9. As used in this section:

a. "Continuing candidate" means a candidate who has not been eliminated.
b. "Inactive ballot" means a ballot that is no longer tabulated, either in whole or in part, because it does not rank any continuing candidate, contains an overvote at the highest continuing ranking, or contains two or more sequential skipped rankings before its highest continuing

ranking.

c. "Overvote" means an instance where a voter has assigned the same ranking to more than one candidate.
d. "Ranking" or "ranked" means the number assigned by a voter to a candidate to express the voter's choice for that candidate; a ranking of "1" is the highest ranking, followed by "2," and then "3," and so on.
e. "Round" means an instance of the sequence of voting tabulation in a general election for partisan office.
f. "Skipped ranking" means a blank ranking on a ballot on which a voter has ranked another candidate at a subsequent ranking.
g. "Partisan office" means the Offices of United States Senator, United States Representative, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Controller, and State Legislators, and excludes the Offices of President of the United States and Vice President of the United States.

10. Completion of ballot count; certificate.

a. The certification of results shall be conducted as provided by Nevada law.

11. Implementation

a. Not later than July 1, 2025, the Legislature shall provide by law for provisions consistent with this constitutional amendment, including providing for disclosure as to the full ranking of each candidate.
b. Upon enactment of any law by the Legislature pursuant to this constitutional amendment before July 1, 2025, and not later than that date, any laws, regulations, regulatory orders or other provisions which conflict with this constitutional amendment will be void. However, the Legislature may enact legislation, in whole or in part, consistent with this constitutional amendment before July 1, 2025.[5]

Support

Nevada Voters First PAC sponsored the initiative.[6]

Supporters

Organizations

  • Institute for Political Innovation
  • Represent.Us
  • Vote Nevada

Arguments

  • Megan Caska, RepresentUs Interim Director of Political Campaigns: "Ranked Choice Voting is sweeping the nation, and it’s not hard to see why. This simple change to our elections benefits the voters, not the political establishment or special interests. In every town, city and state that has switched to RCV, voters like it. We look forward to continuing the momentum and setting the country on a path toward having better elected officials that actually represent the voters."
  • Samuel T. Lair, former research associate for the Kenny Guinn Center for Policy Priorities at UNR: "Fortunately, by implementing a ranked-choice voting system, the proposed reform will free voters to support independent candidates without the fear of aiding another party. To this end, Nevadan’s can expect the new system to result in a diverse field of candidates more capable of producing a system of representation consistent with the sentiments and interests of a true majority."
  • Institute for Political Innovation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Katherine M. Gehl: "With more than 35 percent of Nevada voters unable to vote in a primary because they are registered as independent or non-partisan, and many more feeling under-represented by their respective party, it is clear that this antiquated system needs to change."


Opposition

Opponents

Officials

Unions

  • Nevada State AFL-CIO

Organizations

  • Americans for Tax Reform
  • Battle Born Progress
  • Let Nevadans Vote

Arguments

  • Emily Persaud-Zamora, executive director of Silver State Voices: "Ranked choice voting makes casting a ballot more time consuming, more complicated and more confusing for voters ... It will inevitably lead to increased errors. Ranked choice vote ballots are significantly more likely to be thrown out and uncounted because of those voters’ mistakes, ultimately disenfranchising more voters because of an overly complex and burdensome process."
  • Protect Your Vote Nevada: "This petition you're being asked to sign doesn't do what supporters say it does. Instead, it's about out-of-state corporate billionaires trying to influence our elections. Their petition would make our elections unnecessarily confusing, complicated, and riddled with errors-- and enshrine that system in the Nevada Constitution."
  • Assemblyman Steve Yeager (D-9): "Enshrining this system in Nevada's state constitution would be a mistake because meaningful access to the ballot box is too critical to our system of representative government to sacrifice at the alter [sic] of an unproven and unwieldy experiment."


Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Nevada ballot measures
The campaign finance information on this page reflects the most recently scheduled reports processed by Ballotpedia, which covered through March 31, 2024. The deadline for the next scheduled reports is July 15, 2024.


The Nevada Voters First PAC is registered to support the ballot initiative.[7]

The Protect Your Vote Nevada PAC is registered to oppose the ballot initiative.[7]

In 2022, when Question 3 was previously on the ballot, the Nevada Voters First PAC raised $22.9 million, and the Protect Your Vote Nevada PAC raised $2.42 million.[7]

Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions Cash Expenditures Total Expenditures
Support $207,650.00 $0.00 $207,650.00 $899,069.59 $899,069.59
Oppose $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $146,000.00 $146,000.00

Support

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committees in support of the measure.[7]

Committees in support of Question 3
Committee Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions Cash Expenditures Total Expenditures
Nevada Voters First $207,650.00 $0.00 $207,650.00 $899,069.59 $899,069.59
Total $207,650.00 $0.00 $207,650.00 $899,069.59 $899,069.59

Donors

The following were the top donors to the committee.[7]

Donor Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions
United America Inc. $207,650.00 $0.00 $207,650.00

Opposition

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committees in opposition to the initiative.[7]

Committees in opposition to Question 3
Committee Cash Contributions In-Kind Contributions Total Contributions Cash Expenditures Total Expenditures
Protect Your Vote Nevada $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $146,000.00 $146,000.00
Total $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $146,000.00 $146,000.00

Polls

See also: 2024 ballot measure polls

2024 polls

Are you aware of a poll on this ballot measure that should be included below? You can share ballot measure polls, along with source links, with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Ballotpedia has not located polls for the 2024 initiative.

2022 polls

Are you aware of a poll on this ballot measure that should be included below? You can share ballot measure polls, along with source links, with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Nevada Top-Five Ranked Choice Voting Initiative (2022)
Poll
Dates
Sample size
Margin of error
Support
Oppose
Undecided
Suffolk University 8/14/22-8/17/22 500 LV ± 4.4% 51.6% 44% 13.8%
Question: "There is a ballot initiative to open up Nevada’s top party primary races to all voters regardless of party, and to allow the ranking of your five top choices instead of voting for one. At this point, do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose this ballot initiative?"
OH Predictive Insights 7/20/22-7/29/22 741 LV ± 3.6% 38% 42% 20%
Question: "Changing the current method of elections so that anyone can vote in a party's primary and where choices for general elections will use ranked-choice voting, whereby voters rank their preferences."
OH Predictive Insights 7/8/22-7/19/22 924 RV ± 3.22% 42% 27% 32%
Question: "There will be a question on the ballot in November to change elections so that anyone can vote in a party's primary and where choices for general elections will use ranked-choice voting, whereby voters rank their preferences. Do you support this change to Nevada's elections?"
Note: LV is likely voters, RV is registered voters, and EV is eligible voters.

Background

2022 Nevada Top-Five Ranked Choice Voting Initiative

See also: Nevada Question 3, Top-Five Ranked Choice Voting Initiative (2022)

The initiative to establish ranked-choice voting and open primaries first appeared on the 2022 ballot. On November 8, 2022, voters approved the measure by 53%-47%.[8]

In Nevada, initiated constitutional amendments need to be approved in two even-numbered election years, meaning that the initiative needs to be approved in 2022 and 2024 to amend the Nevada Constitution.

The initiative was placed on the 2022 ballot by the Nevada Voters First PAC. They filed the initiative on November 12, 2021, and submitted 170,941 valid signatures on June 28, 2022. The initiative qualified for the ballot on July 21, 2022 after the signatures were verified by the secretary of state. The measure needed at least 135,561 valid signatures to make it to the ballot.[9] The Nevada Voters First PAC raised a total of $19.5 million in cash and in-kind contributions in support of the initiative for the 2022 election. They reported $8.62 million in expenditures.[7]

The Protect Your Vote Nevada PAC was registered to oppose the initiative. The PAC reported $1.57 million in contributions and $1.52 million in expenditures.[7]

Ranked-choice voting

See also: Ranked-choice voting

Ranked-choice voting is a voting system where voters are able to rank candidates based on preference on their ballots. Ballots are processed in rounds. If a candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, that candidate is declared the winner. If no candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, the candidate in last place is eliminated, lifting the second-choice preference on the ballots. The process is continued until a candidate wins the simple majority (50% plus 1) of the votes.

How ranked-choice voting works

Broadly speaking, the ranked-choice voting process unfolds as follows for single-winner elections:

  1. Voters rank the candidates for a given office by preference on their ballots.
  2. If a candidate wins an outright majority of first-preference votes (i.e., 50 percent plus one), he or she will be declared the winner.
  3. If, on the other hand, no candidates win an outright majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated.
  4. All first-preference votes for the failed candidate are eliminated, lifting the second-preference choices indicated on those ballots.
  5. A new tally is conducted to determine whether any candidate has won an outright majority of the adjusted voters.
  6. The process is repeated until a candidate wins a majority of votes cast.

Ranked-choice voting in the United States

As of January 2024, ranked-choice voting is used in a wide variety of states and localities across the United States. See the map, tables, and list below for further details. The numbers below do not include states where RCV is used by a political party for partisan primaries, or where military/UOCAVA voters use ranked ballots for runoff elections. For more information on these uses of RCV, see the table beneath the map below.

If you know of any additional U.S. localities using RCV that should be included here, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.[10]

  • RCV used statewide: Three states use RCV statewide. Alaska and Maine use RCV in federal and statewide elections. Hawaii uses RCV in certain statewide elections.
  • RCV used (or scheduled for use) in some localities: Thirteen states contain localities that either use or are scheduled to begin using RCV in municipal elections.
  • RCV authorized by state law, but not in use: Virginia is the only state where RCV is authorized by state law but is not currently in use, other than for a partisan primary.
  • RCV prohibited: Five states have enacted legislation prohibiting the use of RCV in any elections.
  • No laws addressing RCV, not in use: Twenty-seven states have no laws addressing RCV, and neither the state nor any localities in the state use it.[11]


The map below shows which states use ranked-choice voting statewide or in some localities as of January 2024. It also shows the states where RCV is either prohibited or not addressed in the law. It does not show states where RCV is used by a political party for partisan primaries, or where military/UOCAVA voters use ranked ballots for runoff elections. See the table beneath the map for details on these uses of RCV.


The table below summarizes the use of ranked-choice voting in the U.S. by state as of January 2024.

Ranked-choice voting usage in U.S. states and localities
State RCV use Details
Alabama No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections Military/UOCAVA voters use ranked ballots when voting in runoff elections.
Alaska RCV used statewide RCV has been authorized for federal and certain statewide elections since 2020 and used since 2022.
RCV was used for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary in this state.
Arizona No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
Arkansas No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections Military/UOCAVA voters use ranked ballots when voting in runoff elections.
California RCV used (or scheduled for use) in some localities RCV is used in the following seven localities: Albany, Berkeley, Eureka, Oakland, Palm Desert, San Francisco, and San Leandro.
RCV is also authorized in the following two localities: Ojai (scheduled for use in 2024) and Redondo Beach (scheduled for use in 2025).
Colorado RCV used (or scheduled for use) in some localities RCV is used in the following five localities: Basalt, Boulder, Broomfield, Carbondale, and Telluride.
RCV is also authorized in the following locality: Fort Collins (scheduled for use in 2025).
Connecticut No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
Delaware RCV used (or scheduled for use) in some localities RCV is used in the following locality: Arden.
Florida RCV prohibited RCV was banned by legislation in 2022, blocking its adoption in the following locality: Sarasota.
Georgia No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections Military/UOCAVA voters use ranked ballots when voting in runoff elections.
Hawaii RCV used statewide RCV has been authorized statewide for certain federal and local elections since 2022 and used since 2023.
RCV was used for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary in this state.
Idaho RCV prohibited RCV was banned by legislation in 2023.
Illinois RCV used (or scheduled for use) in some localities RCV is authorized in the following localities: Evanston (scheduled for use in 2025), Springfield (only used by overseas absentee voters in local elections).
Indiana No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
Iowa No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
Kansas No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections RCV was used for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary in this state.
Kentucky No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
Louisiana No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections Military/UOCAVA voters use ranked ballots when voting in runoff elections.
Maine RCV used statewide RCV has been authorized for federal and statewide elections since 2016 and used since 2018.
Maine has also authorized RCV for all municipal election and it is currently used for these elections in the following locality: Portland.
Maryland RCV used (or scheduled for use) in some localities RCV is used in the following locality: Tacoma Park.
Massachusetts RCV used (or scheduled for use) in some localities RCV is used in the following two localities: Cambridge and Easthampton. Cambridge holds the record for the longest continuous use of RCV in the U.S. (1941-present).
RCV is also authorized in the following locality: Amherst (schedule for use is uncertain).
Michigan No laws addressing RCV, not in use RCV has been approved, but is not used, in the following localities: Ann Arbor, Ferndale, Kalamazoo, East Lansing, and Royal Oak. Although Michigan does not explicitly prohibit the use of RCV, state election laws prevent the implementation of RCV.

RCV was used in the following locality by federal enforcement from 2019-2023: Eastpointe.[12]

Minnesota RCV used (or scheduled for use) in some localities RCV is used in the following five localities: Bloomington, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, and St. Paul. RCV was also used in the following locality, but it is no longer in use: Hopkins.
Mississippi No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections Military/UOCAVA voters use ranked ballots when voting in runoff elections.
Missouri No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
Montana RCV prohibited RCV was banned by legislation in 2023.
Nebraska No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
Nevada No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections RCV was used for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary in this state.
New Hampshire No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
New Jersey No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
New Mexico RCV used (or scheduled for use) in some localities RCV is used in the following two localities: Las Cruces and Santa Fe.
New York RCV used (or scheduled for use) in some localities RCV is used in the following locality: New York City.
North Carolina No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
North Dakota No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
Ohio No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
Oklahoma No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
Oregon RCV used (or scheduled for use) in some localities RCV is used in the following locality: Benton County and Corvallis.
RCV is also authorized in the following two localities: Multnomah County (scheduled for use in 2026) and Portland (scheduled for use in 2024).
Pennsylvania No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
Rhode Island No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
South Carolina No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections Military/UOCAVA voters use ranked ballots when voting in runoff elections.
South Dakota RCV prohibited RCV was banned by legislation in 2023.
Tennessee RCV prohibited RCV was banned by legislation in 2022, blocking its adoption in the following locality: Memphis.
Texas No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
Utah RCV used (or scheduled for use) in some localities RCV is used in the following 23 localities: Bluffdale, Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Elk Ridge, Genola, Goshen, Heber, Lehi, Magna, Midvale, Millcreek, Moab, Newton, Nibley, Payson, River Heights City, Riverton, Sandy, Salt Lake City, Springville, South Salt Lake, Vineyard, and Woodland Hills. The state adopted a pilot program allowing RCV in 2018.
Vermont RCV used (or scheduled for use) in some localities RCV is used in the following locality: Burlington.
Virginia RCV authorized by state law, but not in use All localities in Virginia have been authorized to use RCV since 2021. RCV is used for a partisan primary in the following locality: Arlington.
Washington RCV used (or scheduled for use) in some localities RCV is authorized in the following locality: Seattle (scheduled for use in 2027).
West Virginia No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
Wisconsin No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections
Wyoming No state laws addressing RCV, not in use for general elections RCV was used for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary in this state.


List of state ballot measures by year

The following table provides a list of state ranked-choice voting (RCV) ballot measures:

State Year Type Measure Yes No Outcome
Alaska 2024 Initiative Repeal Top-Four Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative N/A N/A
N/A
Missouri 2024 Referral Require Citizenship to Vote and Prohibit Ranked-Choice Voting Amendment N/A N/A
N/A
Nevada 2024 Initiative Top-Five Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative N/A N/A
N/A
Oregon 2024 Referral Ranked-Choice Voting for Federal and State Elections Measure N/A N/A
N/A
Nevada 2022 Initiative Question 3: Top-Five Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative 52.94% 47.06%
Approveda
Alaska 2020 Initiative Ballot Measure 2: Top-Four Ranked-Choice Voting and Campaign Finance Laws Initiative 50.55% 49.45%
Approveda
Massachusetts 2020 Initiative Question 2: Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative 45.22% 54.78%
Defeatedd
Maine 2018 Initiative Question 1: Ranked-Choice Voting Delayed Enactment and Automatic Repeal Referendum 53.88% 46.12%
Approveda
Maine 2016 Initiative Question 5: Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative 52.12% 47.88%
Approveda
Alaska 2002 Initiative Ballot Measure 1: Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative 36.27% 63.73%
Defeatedd

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Nevada

Process in Nevada

In Nevada, the number of signatures required to qualify an initiated constitutional amendment for the ballot is equal to 10 percent of the total votes cast in the most recent general election. Moreover, signature gathering must be distributed equally among each of the state's four congressional districts. The initial filing of an initiated constitutional amendment cannot be made before September 1 of the year preceding the election year. The signature petitions must be filed with county officials by the third Tuesday in June of an even-numbered year. The final submission of signatures to the secretary of state must be made at least 90 days before the next regular general election. Initiated constitutional amendments that qualify for the ballot must be approved at two consecutive general elections.

The requirements to get an initiated constitutional amendment certified for the 2024 ballot and the next even-yeared election ballot:

Signatures are verified by county clerks using a random sampling method if more than 500 signatures were submitted in that county. If enough signatures are submitted and verified, the initiative goes on the next general election ballot. If approved at the first election, it goes on the next general election ballot.

Details about the initiative

The Nevada Voters First PAC filed the initiative on November 12, 2021. The PAC reported submitting 266,000 signatures on June 28, 2022.[13] On July 21, the office of Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske announced that 170,941 signatures were verified, exceeding the requirement of 135,561.[14]

Nevada Voters First hired Advanced Micro Targeting to collect signatures for the petition. A total of $2.0 million was spent to collect the 135,561 valid signatures required to put the measure before voters, resulting in a total cost-per-required-signature (CPRS) of $14.75.


Signature gathering cost

See also: Ballot measures cost per required signatures analysis

Sponsors of the measure hired Advanced Micro Targeting to collect signatures for the petition to qualify this measure for the ballot. A total of $2,000,000.00 was spent to collect the 135,561 valid signatures required to put this measure before voters, resulting in a total cost per required signature (CPRS) of $14.75.


How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Nevada

Click "Show" to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Nevada.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 Nevada Secretary of State, "Notice of intent to circulate statewide initiative or referendum petition," accessed August 11, 2022
  2. ↑ This is Reno, "Ranked choice voting advocates celebrate state Supreme Court ruling," accessed August 12, 2022
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Nevada Secretary of State, "Statewide Ballot Questions," accessed December 19, 2022
  4. ↑ Las Vegas Sun, "Fight over ranked choice voting in Nevada precedes initiative making its way onto ballot," accessed August 12, 2022
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content
  6. ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "2022 Petitions & General Election Ballot Questions," accessed November 19, 2021
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Nevada Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Report Search," accessed January 16, 2024 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "finance" defined multiple times with different content
  8. ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "2022 Official Statewide General Election Results," accessed December 19, 2022
  9. ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "2022 Petitions & General Election Ballot Questions," accessed July 22, 2022
  10. ↑ Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, "Where is RCV Used," accessed January 17, 2023
  11. ↑ Michigan is included in this category despite numerous local jurisdictions approving the use of RCV. Although Michigan does not explicitly prohibit the use of RCV, state election laws prevent the implementation of RCV. One jurisdiction in the state, Eastpointe, did use RCV between 2019-2023 as a result of federal enforcement under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The jurisdictions of Ann Arbor, Ferndale, Kalamazoo, East Lansing, and Royal Oak have all authorized the use of RCV and plan to begin using the election method if legislation providing the state's authorization is signed into law.
  12. ↑ The Detroit News, "Eastpointe to make Michigan history with ranked-choice voting," November 3, 2019
  13. ↑ Twitter, "Nevada Voters First," June 28, 2022
  14. ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "2022 Petitions & General Election Ballot Questions," accessed July 22, 2022
  15. ↑ Nevada Revised Statutes, "Title 24, Chapter 293, Section 273," accessed April 17, 2023
  16. ↑ ACLU of Nevada, "Know Your Voting Rights - Voting in Nevada," accessed April 17, 2023
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Nevada Secretary of State, “Elections,” accessed April 17, 2023
  18. ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, “Registering to Vote,” accessed April 17, 2023
  19. ↑ Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, “Voter Registration,” accessed April 17, 2023
  20. ↑ The Nevada Independent, “The Indy Explains: How does Nevada verify a voter's eligibility?” April 23, 2017
  21. ↑ Nevada Revised Statutes, "NRS 293.277 Conditions for entitlement of person to vote; forms of identification to identify registered voter." accessed April 17, 2023
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