Our Written Testimony to the NYS Legislature

On behalf of Ranked Choice NY, here is the written testimony we submitted to the New York State legislature regarding New York City’s recent Ranked Choice Voting election.

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Ranked Choice NY is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that educates voters about Ranked Choice Voting in New York. We write to add our voice to the chorus of Ranked Choice Voting support after witnessing its successful implementation in New York City.

Ranked Choice Voting puts more power in the hands of voters—where it belongs—by allowing voters to vote for who they want and have that vote matter. It puts an end to the idea that one would ever have to vote for the lesser of two evils.

In New York City, this is exactly what we saw. Top candidates embraced Ranked Choice Voting, and some even campaigned together. Organizations co-endorsed or even ranked their endorsements. Most importantly, New York City voters overwhelmingly approve of this simple change to the way they vote. According to a recent Common Cause/Rank the Vote NYC poll, 75% of voters want to continue using Ranked Choice Voting, 83% of voters ranked more than one candidate, and most voters said the ballot was simple to fill out.

With Ranked Choice Voting, New York City is poised to elect its second Mayor of Color; a majority-women City Council, and the most Council Members of color ever.

Now that New Yorkers have had the chance to test it out, Ranked Choice Voting is here to stay. RCV should also be adopted in other cities throughout the state, and, hopefully, we can soon emulate NYC’s ranked-choice success at the state level. Thank you for taking the time to consider our testimony.