Legislation would require ranked choice voting for all congressional primary and general elections, giving voters more meaningful choices at the ballot box.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, alongside U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-N.J.), U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, and Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA-08), reintroduced the bicameral Ranked Choice Voting Act, legislation to bring ranked choice voting to U.S. congressional elections across America. The bill would require ranked choice voting in all congressional primary and general elections starting in 2028, allowing voters to express support for multiple candidates for public office, with the candidate receiving the most votes declared the winner.
“Our democracy is at its strongest when everyone is heard and represented. Ranked choice voting offers an opportunity to break through polarization and strengthen our democracy by ensuring that our elected candidates have received the broad support of the folks they’ll represent,” said Senator Welch. “I’m proud to join my friends and former colleagues Representatives Raskin and Beyer on this pro-democracy bill to make our elections more equitable, more civil, and more representative.”
“Empowering voters couldn’t be more important at a moment when so many people feel detached and disillusioned with our politics. With so much that is broken, ranked choice voting can help reinforce the American people as the drivers of our democracy and make sure that everyone’s voice is heard equally at the ballot box, and by those they chose to represent them in Congress,” said Senator Kim.
“Ranked choice voting is a great advance in democracy. It gives voters more power at the ballot box and makes our politics more positive and inclusive, encouraging candidates to connect with more voters,” said Rep. Raskin. “I’m proud to partner with Representative Beyer and Senator Welch on this important legislation to keep growing and improving electoral democracy.”
“Polarization in Congress is worse than ever, and this is making it harder and harder for Congress to solve basic problems for the American people,” said Rep. Beyer. “Ranked choice voting would help fix our broken political system by changing election incentives to favor leaders who build broad and diverse coalitions focused on solutions rather than divisive rhetoric. This reform would strengthen our democracy and make Congress more responsive to the needs of the people we represent.”
With ranked choice voting, voters rank candidates in order of choice. If a candidate receives more than half of the first choices, that candidate wins, just like in any election. If not, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and voters who picked that candidate as ‘number 1’ have their votes redistributed and counted for their next favored choice. This process continues until a candidate wins with more than half the votes.
Voting and elections experts observe that ranked choice voting can help foster political goodwill in a polarized, partisan environment. Ranked choice voting is already being used across the country and in a wide range of jurisdictions. As of October 2025, 52 American jurisdictions have ranked choice voting in place for all voters in public elections, reaching nearly 14 million voters. This includes two states (Maine and Alaska), three counties, and 39 cities. Many more jurisdictions are on the path to implementing ranked choice voting, including Utah, which in 2018 authorized a pilot program to allow cities to use this system in local elections.
The bill is cosponsored in the House by U.S. Reps. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), Angie Craig (D-MN-02), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Summer Lee (D-PA-12), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM-03), Kelly Morrison (D-MN-03), Seth Moulton (D-MA-06), Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), Scott Peters (D-CA-50), Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01), Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03), Eric Swalwell (D-CA-14) and Shri Thanedar (D-MI-13).
The Ranked Choice Voting Act of 2025 is endorsed by 7th Generation Labs; Bridge Alliance Education Fund; Campaign Legal Center; Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW); Clean Elections Texas; Divided We Fall; FairVote Action; Fix Democracy First; Greenpeace USA; League of Women Voters Rogue Valley; National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW); NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice; People Power United; Public Citizen; Rank the Vote; RepresentUs; RepresentWomen; Third Way; and Voter Choice MA.
“The Ranked Choice Voting Act will give voters more choice and more power. It will make Congress more responsive and more accountable to the people they represent,” said Meredith Sumpter, President and CEO of FairVote, a nonpartisan organization seeking better elections. “At a time when polarization and gridlock are making it harder for Congress to deliver for the American people, ranked choice voting gives members of Congress incentives to lead, legislate, and govern together.”
Learn more about the Ranked Choice Voting Act of 2025 and read a section-by-section summary of the bill.
Read and download the full text of the bill.
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