| The Daily Northwestern |
In November 2023, Evanston residents voted overwhelmingly for a referendum adopting a ranked-choice voting method for municipal elections starting in 2025, making Evanston the first city in the state to do so. Now, the movement has gained traction as organizers across Illinois advocate for ranked-choice voting in statewide elections, and a new Illinois legislative task force is assessing the idea.
There’s a burgeoning movement afoot
Rebecca Williams, a statewide organizer for FairVote Illinois, said her advocacy group is focused on advocating for ranked-choice voting implementation at the local level.
“A big focus of our work is working at the municipal level to get cities to adopt ranked-choice voting,” Williams said. “We’re hoping that if we can do enough of those, and the General Assembly is able to see that people like it, that will eventually prompt statewide adoption.”
State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), who introduced a bill in the Illinois State House last year to give municipalities the ability to adopt ranked-choice voting, said many people seem to be receptive to this new approach.
“There’s a burgeoning movement afoot,” Buckner said. “People around the country are paying attention, and I don’t want Illinois to be late to the party.”
