There hasn't been much good news for ranked choice voting (RCV) lately. Last week, North Dakota became the 15th state to ban the use of RCV in state elections, joining a growing list of states that have done the same. These bans are mostly fueled by misinformation, dark money, and political pressure; not by any real problems with how RCV actually works. Right now, only a few states — Alaska, Hawaii, and Maine — use RCV statewide, and even in Alaska, a second effort is underway to repeal it after the first attempt narrowly failed.

Given the national climate, a lot of wins for RCV supporters right now are about fighting off threats instead of expanding the use of better voting systems. Here in Georgia, BBGA recently helped defeat a bill that would have banned ranked choice voting. Our goal is bigger than just protecting RCV; we want cities and counties to have the freedom to choose it for themselves without needing special permission from the legislature. Local governments in Georgia can't adopt RCV yet, but we're working to change that.

What’s happening in North Dakota and Alaska shows why it is so important to keep pushing back against misinformation. Too often, bans and rollbacks are based on political talking points, not facts. We are here to stand up for voters and make sure Georgians get to decide how their elections should be run, not politicians at the Capitol.

Here's the article.