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Ranked Choice Voting in Seattle
What is ranked choice voting (RCV)?
In a ranked choice voting system, voters rank candidates in order of preference instead of voting for a single candidate.
When will ranked choice voting come to Seattle?
Voters in the City of Seattle will vote in their first ranked choice voting primary in August 2027.
RCV will only be used in primary elections to determine the top two candidates in each race who will appear on the November General Election ballot.
How will voting look different for Seattle primary elections?
Voters within the City of Seattle will see the contests for city offices look a little different than the other contests on their ballot. In Seattle races only, voters will rank candidates on their ballot in order of preference.
Voters may rank or select only one candidate rather than providing multiple rankings if they prefer. Ranking additional candidates does not impact the voter's first choice. Votes are only reassigned when the voter's first choice is eliminated.
King County Elections is working on ballot design and determining the maximum number of rankings. The example to the right is based on ballots used in other jurisdictions.
How are ranked choice voting ballots counted?
Ballots are tabulated in rounds, with the first round simply counting all first choice votes.
In the each round of tabulation, the candidate with the fewest first choice votes is eliminated. Those votes are then reassigned to the next highest ranked candidate on each ballot.
For most voters, this means their vote will then be reassigned second choice candidate.
Votes continue to be counted in rounds with the candidate with the fewest number of votes eliminated in each round until only the top two candidates remain.
How does ranked choice voting work with Washington's Top Two Primary System?
After going through rounds of tabulation and eliminating those with the fewest votes, the two candidates who receive the highest number of votes will move onto the November General Election.
The Pathway to RCV in Seattle
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November 2022
Voters in the City of Seattle pass Proposition 1B. Proposition 1B requires Ranked Choice Voting to be implemented in Seattle’s primary elections by 2027.
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Early 2023
Establish an internal project team and conduct the first usability tests at local public libraries.
These tests were designed to inform decision-making about the design of the ballot and the maximum number of rankings available to the voter.
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Late 2023
Develop implementation timeline and projected budget, and begin meeting with community advocates and organizations.
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2024 and 2025
Coordinate with the City of Seattle and Washington Secretary of State's Office to propose and implement public rules around RCV in Seattle's primary elections.
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2025 and 2026
Conduct usability studies across the City of Seattle, focused on historically marginalized communities and those who speak a non-English language.
Ballot design, instructions, voter education materials, and more will be tested with actual voters and residents to make sure that voting and education materials are effective and meaningful.
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2026
Update internal procedures and test extensively to ensure that RCV elections are accurate, secure, and accessible.
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Late 2026
Prepare to launch a robust voter education campaign to inform City of Seattle voters of the changes to their upcoming August 2027 Primary Election. Education and outreach will occur in English, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
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Early 2027
Train community partners and candidates on RCV, educate voters on how to make their voices heard, and conduct extensive outreach to ensure that accurate information about RCV is available and accessible to all voters.
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August 3, 2027 Primary Election
Conduct the first RCV election for the City of Seattle.