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Takoma Park, Maryland, Ranked-Choice Voting Advisory Question (November 2005)
| Takoma Park Ranked-Choice Voting Advisory Question | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Elections and campaigns and Local charter amendments |
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| Status |
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| Type Referral |
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Takoma Park Ranked-Choice Voting Advisory Question was on the ballot as a referral in Takoma Park on November 8, 2005. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported this non-binding ballot question, supporting the adoption of ranked-choice voting. |
A "no" vote opposed this non-binding ballot question, opposing the adoption of ranked-choice voting. |
Election results
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Takoma Park Ranked-Choice Voting Advisory Question |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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1,992 | 83.63% | ||
| No | 390 | 16.37% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Ranked-Choice Voting Advisory Question was as follows:
| “ | The City Charter now provides that the candidate receiving the largest number of votes for each office is elected to that office, even if that candidate does not have a majority of votes. A runoff election is held only in the event of a tie vote. The City Council should amend the Charter: to adopt an instant runoff voting system that allows voters to rank candidates in order of choice (1, 2, 3, and so on) to produce a majority vote for a candidate without a runoff election in the event that no candidate receives a majority of the first choices. | ” |
Support
Arguments
Opposition
Arguments
Ballotpedia did not locate arguments in opposition to the ballot measure.
Background
Ranked-choice voting (RCV)
| Ranked-choice voting (RCV) ballot measures | |
|---|---|
| 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 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
This measure was placed on the ballot by the Takoma City Council by a 7-0 vote.[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
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