Join the Skokie RCV Movement Donate to support RCV for Skokie

In November 2022, Skokie voted to change their elections in multiple ways that they felt would improve local politics, including the introduction of single-member districts. Now FairVote Illinois is helping Skokie reform its elections further, by giving voters the chance to use ranked choice voting for village elections. Volunteers are currently gathering signatures to get a binding ranked choice voting referendum placed on the April 2025 ballot. Follow our petition tracker to see our progress.

Goal: 3000 signatures

How Will RCV Bring Fairness to Skokie Elections?

  • More positive campaigning

    Voters don’t like negative campaigning, and it is all too common in Skokie elections. With ranked choice voting, candidates need to appeal to a broader coalition of voters to compete for second- and third-choice votes. It’s been shown that RCV promotes civil campaigns, encouraging candidates to focus more on their own qualifications and ideas for the community and less on attacking their opponents.

  • No primaries needed

    With Skokie’s recently adopted reforms, if there are five or more candidates running for a position it will trigger a primary election, requiring voters to come out and vote twice. More choice shouldn’t mean more hassle for voters. With ranked choice voting, only one election is needed.

  • Ensures majority winners

    Under the current system, if more than two candidates are running for a position a candidate is capable of winning with less than majority support. RCV gives us the true majority preference, all in one election.

  • More choice, more voice

    Plurality voting can make it difficult to choose among ideologically similar candidates, leading to vote splitting and victories for candidates who are not supported by the majority of voters. RCV eliminates vote splitting – voters are free to rank as many candidates as they like, encouraging more candidates to run.

  • Eliminates "wasted" votes

    RCV empowers voters to vote with their hearts and their heads and not worry about whether their favorite candidate can actually win. By ranking candidates, voters won’t have to choose between candidates they truly believe in and those who are polling well. You’re also free to rank as many candidates as you like; subsequent rankings will never hurt your first choice.

  • Promotes diverse candidates

    RCV makes it easier for women and candidates of color to run for office and win. Newer and/or independent candidates also have an easier time appealing to voters because the concern over wasting their vote on a long-shot candidate is removed.

RCV in Skokie is supported by:

  • James Johnson

    Village Trustee

  • Stephanie Skora

    Speaker, Organizer, Writer

If your group would like to be added to our list of supporters, please email our Statewide Organizer, Rebecca Williams.

Here's how it works

  1. First, voters fill out a ballot.

    Instead of marking one candidate, you rank the candidates in order of preference (1st choice, 2nd choice, and so on).

  2. Next, the votes are counted.

    If a candidate has more than 50% of the first choice votes, they win just like any other election. But if no candidate has enough votes to win, we move on to the next step.

  3. The losing candidate is eliminated, and their votes redistributed.

    The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and voters who ranked that candidate as their first choice have their votes transferred to their second choice. The votes are then retallied to see if a candidate has earned a majority.

  4. A winner is chosen.

    The process repeats until a candidate has enough votes to win. This way, everyone gets a say, and no one feels like their voice wasn't heard.