Evanston, Illinois, Ranked-Choice Voting Measure (November 2022)

Evanston Ranked-Choice Voting Measure
Election date November 8, 2022
Topic Local elections and campaigns and Local electoral systems
Status Approved
Type Referral

Evanston Ranked-Choice Voting Measure was on the ballot as a referral in Evanston on November 8, 2022. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported implementing ranked-choice voting for Evanston municipal offices beginning in April 2025.

A "no" vote opposed implementing ranked-choice voting for Evanston municipal elections, thereby maintaining the existing electoral system.

The measure was designed to take effect in April 2025.

Aftermath

On November 12, 2024, Cook County Circuit Judge Maureen Ward Kirby ruled that Evanston could not implement the measure as ranked-choice voting (RCV) violated the Illinois Election Code. Judge Kirby wrote that the state code provided that "if [a] voter marks more candidates than there are persons to be elected to office … his ballot shall not be counted for such office."

David Melton, president of Reform for Illinois, responded, "We think that the court struggled to find an ambiguity where there was none, seemingly to justify a ruling striking down the referendum." The organization appealed the ruling.

Election results

Evanston Ranked-Choice Voting Measure
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		22,475	82.58%
No		4,741	17.42%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Ranked-Choice Voting Measure was as follows:

“

Do you want Evanston voters to use ranked choice voting (also known as instant runoff voting) to elect the City?s offices of Mayor, Clerk and City Council members beginning with the April 2025 Consolidated Election? 1) If approved, this proposal would allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference in elections for Mayor, Clerk and City Council members. 2) If voters still want to choose just one candidate, they can. 3) A candidate who receives a majority of first choices would win. 4) If there is no majority winner, the last place candidate would be eliminated. 5) Any voter who had that candidate as their top choice would have their vote transferred to their next choice. 6) This process would repeat until a candidate receives a majority of votes in a round of counting, making them the winner. 7) This proposal would eliminate the separate primary election for Mayor, Clerk and City Council members.

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Support

RCV for Evanston led the campaign in support of the measure.

Supporters

Officials

• Mayor of Evanston Daniel K. Biss (D)
• Evanston Councilman Juan Geracaris

Organizations

• League of Women Voters

Arguments

• Mary Keefe Kelly, co-president of the Evanston League of Women Voters: "The League of Women Voters supports ranked-choice voting as an alternative to plurality voting. In most elections in the United States, the candidate with the most votes wins, even if that candidate’s share of votes is less than 50%. In ranked-choice voting, the winner must have over 50% of the votes to win, which ensures that the majority of the voters support the winning candidate."
• Alisa Kaplan, executive director of Reform for Illinois: "Ranked-choice voting would eliminate our very-low-turnout primaries, prevent a tiny slice of our electorate from narrowing the choices down for everyone else, and enable many more people to participate in the full electoral process."
• RCV for Evanston: "With ranked choice voting, candidates are not just competing to be voters’ favorite choice, they’re also competing to be their opponent’s voters’ second or third favorite choice, resulting in more positivity and cooperation."

Opposition

Opponents

Officials

• Evanston Councilman Bobby Burns
• Evanston Councilman Devon Reid

Arguments

• Evanston Councilman Bobby Burns: "We’re talking about changing our voting system and folks want to rush this through. This is a horrible, horrible process for something as big as this."

Background

Ranked-choice voting (RCV)

See also: Ranked-choice voting (RCV)

The ballot measure has played a role in shaping electoral systems in the U.S., including ranked-choice voting (RCV) for state and local elections.

Since 1915, there have been more than 150 ballot measures to adopt or repeal ranked-choice voting systems. Ashtabula, Ohio, was the first jurisdiction to approve a ranked-choice voting measure in 1915.

RCV is an electoral system in which voters rank candidates on their ballots. RCV can be used for single-winner elections or multi-winner elections; when used for multi-winner elections, the system has also been called single-transferable vote or proportional representation. These terms were often used to describe multi-winner RCV before the 1970s. You can learn more about ranked-choice voting systems and policies here.

Local RCV ballot measures

See also: History of ranked-choice voting (RCV) ballot measures

Between 1965 and 2024, 79 ranked-choice voting (RCV) local ballot measures were on the ballot in 58 jurisdictions in 19 states.

• Ballotpedia has located 71 local ballot measures to adopt RCV. Voters approved 52 (78.9%) and rejected 15 (21.1%).

• There were eight local ballot measures to repeal RCV. Voters approved four (50.0%) and rejected four (50.0%).

• The year with the most local RCV ballot measures was 2022, when nine were on the ballot in nine jurisdictions. Voters approved seven of them.

• The state with the most local ballot measures related to RCV is California, where there have been 13.

The following table shows the number of ranked-choice voting measures by topic.

Local ranked-choice vote measures by topic and outcome, 1965 - April 2025
Topic	Total	Approved	Approved (%)	Defeated	Defeated (%)
Adopt RCV	72	57	79.2%	15	20.08%
Repeal RCV	8	4	50.0%	4	50.0%
Total	80	61	76.3%	19	23.7%

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in Illinois

On July 11, 2022, the Evanston City Council voted 7-0 to place the measure on the November ballot, with Ald. Bobby Burns (5th) and Ald. Devon Reid (8th) abstaining.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Illinois

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Illinois.

How to vote in Illinois

Poll times

In Illinois, all polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Illinois, a person must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of an Illinois precinct for at least 30 days prior to election day, and at least 18 years old by election day. A 17-year-old may vote in a primary if he or she will be 18 years old at the subsequent general election. Preregistration is available starting at age 16.

Regular registration closes during the period beginning 27 days prior to an election and ending two days after the election. Online registration closes 16 days prior to an election. Grace period registration is available in person through election day at certain locations.

Prospective voters can register online, by mail, or at any of the following locations:

“

County Clerk's Office Board of Election Commissioner's Office City and Village Offices Township Offices Precinct Committeeman Schools Public Libraries Military Recruitment Offices

”

Two forms of identification are required to register in person, one of which must display the voter's current address.

Automatic registration

Illinois automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles and other designated automatic voter registration agencies.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Illinois has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Illinois allows same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Illinois law requires 30 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Illinois does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Registration Lookup page, run by the Illinois Board of Elections, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Illinois does not require voters to present identification while voting, in most cases. First-time voters who registered by mail and did not submit their driver’s license number, state ID number, last four digits of their social security number, or other form of ID are required to present identification showing their name and address before voting.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of August 2024. Click here for the Illinois State Board of Elections voting information page to ensure you have the most current information.

“

A current and valid photo identification Utility bill Bank statement Government check Paycheck Lease or contract for residence Student ID & mail addressed to voter’s residence Government document

”

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2022
• Voting policy measures on the ballot

Illinois

• Illinois 2022 local measures
• Local ballot measures, Illinois
• Evanston, Illinois

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas