Virtual ranked choice voting campaign kickoff set Tuesday

FairVote Washington will kick off its campaign to bring ranked choice voting to Clark County with a virtual event Tuesday. The group is working to pass a charter amendment implementing ranked choice voting for county elected officials scheduled for the November general election ballot.

Ranked choice voting lets voters rank candidates on their ballot in the order they prefer; first choice, second choice, third choice, etc. If a voter’s first choice does not win, a vote for their next choice is counted.

The amendment is being placed on the ballot by the county’s charter review commission. According to the commission, ranked choice voting allows for more civility, more diversity, increased voter engagement and more choices on the ballot.

While Maine is currently the only state to allow ranked choice voting statewide, others like Wyoming and Nevada have used it during the 2020 presidential primaries. Dozens more cities and counties allow ranked choice voting in local elections.

A bill was introduced during the 2022 legislative session by state Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, D-Tacoma, to allow ranked choice voting for county, city, town, schools, fire district and port district office elections. It made it out of committee but was never called for a vote.

The campaign kickoff begins at 6 p.m. To sign up, go to https://bit.ly/3tmrkgV.