FairVote Washington Foundation

Who We Are

The FairVote Washington Foundation is a nonpartisan champion of electoral reforms with a mission to bring ranked-choice voting to Washington State. Ranked-choice voting gives voters greater choice, a stronger voice, and a more representative democracy that works for all Americans.

What is Ranked-Choice Voting?

Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is a simple improvement to the way we vote. RCV gives you the option to rank the candidates on your ballot in the order you prefer: first choice, second choice, third choice, and so forth. If your favorite can't win, your vote counts for your next choice. Check out the video below for a great explainer of RCV:

What Are the Benefits?

Ranked-choice voting is the fastest-growing nonpartisan electoral reform in the country today. Here’s why: 

• Reduces polarization
  • RCV limits the effectiveness of negative campaigning and pandering to extremes. It rewards candidates who run civil, issue-focused campaigns and appeal to a broad range of voters in order to earn both first and second choice votes.
• Provides voters with more choices
  • By eliminating the “spoiler” argument against independent and minor party candidates, RCV increases competition and encourages more candidates to run for election. With greater choice, voters have more power.
• Improves representation
  • RCV lowers barriers and opens the political process to candidates with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. It promotes more diverse political representation and increases the opportunity for traditionally underrepresented communities.
• Gives voters a stronger voice
  • With RCV, voters can honestly rank the candidate they like most - even if from a minor party - without fear that doing so will help the candidate they like least. It empowers voters to vote their conscience rather than facing a zero-sum game between two major political parties.

Where is RCV used today?

As of November 2024, 51 American jurisdictions have RCV in place for all voters in public elections, reaching nearly 14 million voters. This includes 2 states, 3 counties, and 46 cities. In total, ranked choice voting is used in 62 jurisdictions across 24 states, which includes party-run primaries, special elections, and RCV ballots for military and overseas voters in federal runoff elections in 6 states.

What We Do

The FairVote Washington Foundation raises awareness and grows support for ranked-choice voting in Washington through public education and outreach. We work with hundreds of volunteers and thousands of supporters across the state who are advocating for RCV in their communities. 

• Community Engagement
  • We provide education and training about RCV for elected officials, candidates, election administrators, and the general public, and we offer interactive RCV presentations for local business, civic, faith, and community organizations.
• Grassroots Organizing
  • We’re building power at the base by organizing local RCV advocates who want to bring RCV to their communities. Our efforts include lobby-days in Olympia and organized actions for democracy legislation, providing testimony to charter commissions and city councils, connecting supporters with their legislators, promoting Letters to the Editor in community, statewide, and national publications, and updating our supporters through newsletters and action alerts.
• Legislative Advocacy
  • We advocate for legislation that would create statewide standards for RCV implementation. As municipalities adopt RCV to stay in compliance with the Washington Voting Rights Act (per Portugal v Franklin), they will have access to best practices and uniform standards. We also support legislation that would adopt RCV for use in our statewide, presidential primary election. From across the political spectrum, lawmakers in Olympia are supporters of these RCV bills. 

Your support will ensure we have the resources to spread the word about ranked-choice voting and how it improves our elections and our government. 

Make a donation and sign up to join our movement to bring RCV to Washington!

Recognition

Many thanks to the hundreds of small donors who make our work possible!