| Tess Kenny | Chicago Tribune |
On the Tuesday afternoon of Illinois’ March primary, Rebecca Williams stood outside the Naperville Municipal Center as community members strolled in and out of the building — a polling place for the day. Between her hands, she held a clipboard. On the back, it read: “Fixing politics starts with RANKED CHOICE VOTING.”
Williams was one of several canvassers at Naperville polling places last month to gather support for a local petition drive that would allow city residents to decide if they want to switch to a ranked choice voting system.
The idea of having more choices
If successful, a binding referendum will be on Naperville’s April 2025 election ballot and voters will be asked they want to use ranked choice voting to elect the city’s mayor and council. If approved, it would be implemented in April 2027. As of this week, FairVote Illinois had about 500 signatures on their referendum petition, Williams said. At least 4,000 are needed by Nov. 10 for the question to be on the ballot.
“The residents here,” she said, “seem to quickly understand the concept of (ranked choice voting) and appreciate the idea of having more choices when they vote.”
