On January 1, Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in Hawaii special elections took effect.
The League of Women Voters of Hawaii and Honolulu Civil Beat invite you to learn what RCV is, its pros and cons, and how it impacts Hawaii elections.
In states from Alaska to Maine and in countries from Ireland to Australia, tens of millions of people in the world regularly vote using RCV. Also known as “instant runoff voting” (IRV), RCV has been in government elections since Tasmania adopted it in the 1890s. An estimated 13 million voters in 63 American jurisdictions cast RCV ballots.
So what’s the big deal? Critics say RCV is too complicated. Voters won’t understand it. Incumbents don’t like it.
Yet more and more municipalities, states, political parties, college campuses, and other organizations use or are switching to RCV. RCV is even at the Oscars.
Watch LWV's webinar to learn what RCV is, pros and cons, and what it means for Hawai`i's voters.
SPEAKER BIOS
These speakers have studied, watched, or participated in implementing RCV:
Nathan Smith served as an elected member of the Portland Maine 2010 Charter Commission which vetted, recommended and helped secure adoption of Ranked Choice Voting(RCV) for Portland Mayoral Elections. Subsequently the State of Maine became the first State to employ RCV for Federal elections. Nathan is a former City Councilor and Mayor of Portland and is Of Counsel with Bernstein Shur, a Portland law firm. Nathan is a Big Island resident of Kealakekua.
Janet Mason is a member of the League of Women Voters of Honolulu. She was Co-Chair of the Hawaii League’s Legislative Committee from 2012-2019. During this period, Janet was a leader for modernizing Hawaii’s voting and elections, including online voter registration, early voting, voting by mail and automatic voter registration. She continues this advocacy for election and voting reform. She has served as an official Election Observer for more than eight years.
Chad Blair is Politics and Opinion Editor for Honolulu Civil Beat.
Moderator Sherry Bracken is a retired radio news reporter. During her 17-year radio news career on the Big Island, she reported Hawaii Island news for Hawaii Public Radio and hosted the weekly interview program Island Issues/Island Conversations on local radio. She has moderated more than 100 candidate and issues forums.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.