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Richmond, California, Measure L, Ranked-Choice Voting Measure (November 2024)
| Richmond Measure L | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Local charter amendments and Local electoral systems |
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| Status |
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| Type Referral |
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Richmond Measure L was on the ballot as a referral in Richmond on November 5, 2024. It was approved.
However, Measure L and Measure J were conflicting ballot measures. As both received a majority of votes, the one that received the most votes was enacted. Measure J received more votes than Measure L. Therefore, Measure J was enacted and Measure L was not.
A "yes" vote supported adopting ranked-choice voting (RCV), also known as instant-runoff voting, for mayoral and city council elections. |
A "no" vote opposed adopting ranked-choice voting (RCV), also known as instant-runoff voting, for mayoral and city council elections. |
Election results
See also: Results for ranked-choice voting (RCV) and electoral system ballot measures, 2024
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Richmond Measure L |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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19,284 | 54.39% | ||
| No | 16,168 | 45.61% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Measure L was as follows:
| “ | Shall the City of Richmond Charter be amended to authorize use of instant runoff voting, also known as ranked choice voting, to allow Richmond voters to rank Mayor and City Council election candidates in order of preference on their ballots, intended for implementation for the November 2026 election, and upon adoption of an implementing ordinance by the Richmond City Council? | ” |
Background
Ranked-choice voting (RCV)
| Ranked-choice voting (RCV) ballot measures | |
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| Pages: • Ranked-choice voting (RCV) • History of RCV ballot measures • Electoral systems on the ballot • Local electoral systems on the ballot • Electoral systems by state | |
- 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
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 (%) |
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| 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
The Richmond City Council referred the measure to the ballot.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of California Sacramento (capital) |
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