On March 21, the NJEA Delegate Assembly voted to support the idea that any NJ governing body be able to choose to use Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) to elect its officials. It also recommended that the NJEA establish an education campaign to ensure that NJEA members understand the benefits of RCV.
RCV is a simple, intuitive upgrade to our elections that ensures winning candidates have the support of a true majority (50% + 1) of voters. Currently, New Jersey candidates can—and often do—win elections with only a plurality of votes. A plurality means a candidate received the largest share of the votes, even if it is far less than a majority.
Despite being a common-sense approach to choosing our elected officials, RCV is currently illegal under New Jersey law. However, bills currently in committee in the New Jersey Senate (S1643) and Assembly (A1745) would finally give municipalities and school boards the option to use RCV in their local elections.
RCV has been making headlines across the country and right here at home. Last year, Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City in a historic RCV primary. Meanwhile, this year, several New Jersey congressional primaries were won by candidates receiving less than 30% of the total vote.
What is ranked choice voting?
As the name implies, voters rank candidates in order of preference on their ballot rather than choosing just one. Voters mark the candidate they love as their first choice, the candidate they like as their second choice, the candidate they can tolerate as their third choice, and so on.
The votes are then counted in rounds:
- If a candidate wins a majority of first-choice votes, they win the election.
- If no candidate crosses the 50% threshold, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.
- The voters who picked the eliminated candidate then have their votes transferred to their next-choice candidate.
- This process repeats until one candidate secures a true majority.
Why is RCV a better way to elect our officials?
The ranked choice system offers several distinct advantages over our current plurality system:
- True majority mandate: It ensures that winners truly have the backing of most voters.
- No more “lesser of two evils:” It allows voters to vote for the candidate they genuinely prefer, rather than guessing who has the best chance to win.
- Cleaner campaigns: RCV encourages candidates to run positive, issue-focused campaigns. Because candidates need to appeal to rivals’ supporters for those crucial second-choice votes, they have an incentive to highlight common ground rather than to rely on negative campaigning.
- More diverse candidates: Potential leaders are less likely to be deterred from running because of a toxic environment of negative campaigning. Historical data shows that RCV successfully expands the candidate pool to include more individuals from typically underrepresented communities.
- Cost savings: Some municipalities require a runoff election if no candidate wins a majority. RCV acts as an instant runoff, saving time and money.
- Multi-seat elections: RCV removes the need to strategically “bullet vote” to help elect a likeminded candidate.
Does it cost a lot to switch?
No. All voting machines currently used in New Jersey are already equipped with the technology required to run RCV elections.
How you can help make RCV a reality
You can urge your town council to pass a resolution formally supporting Ranked Choice Voting. Additionally, consider reaching out to your New Jersey senator and assembly representatives to ask them to support S1643 and A1745. By passing this legislation, the state will finally give your local municipality and school board the freedom to choose RCV.