FairVote Washington was founded in ___ with a handful of volunteers dedicated to the idea of creating a representative democracy that works for all in Washington. Since then, we’ve built a movement—educating voters, supporting local organizing, developing support in the state legislature, and securing ranked-choice voting on the ballot in Seattle.
In 2022, FairVote Washington led a successful ballot initiative to bring ranked-choice voting to Seattle city elections.
We’re now working with the City of Seattle, King County, and community partners to educate voters on this upcoming change.
Not every jurisdiction in the state has the authority to use ranked-choice voting like Seattle does. We think every community that wants improved campaigns and governance should have that option. That’s why we’ve introduced the Washington VOICES Act (Voting Options, Implementation, Compliance, Education, and Standards). Over the years, we’ve built support for this bill and moved it further through the legislative process.
In addition, we worked with our partners to pass SB 5077, which expands the state’s automatic voter registration system to remove barriers to voting.
FairVote Washington’s vision extends beyond any one issue. To achieve a truly representative democracy that works for all, we’ve supported other pro-voter reforms across the state, including:
To continue making change, we need politicians in office who will fight for voters and our democracy. Starting in 2024, we’ve endorsed Democracy Champions while they run for office. In 2024, we endorsed ___ candidates in the state elections, ___ of whom were elected. In 2025, we endorsed 213 candidates in municipal and special elections, ___ of whom were elected.
FairVote Washington and our supporters are part of a nationwide movement for ranked-choice voting, the fastest-growing election reform in the country. 14 million voters in 23 states and Washington, DC are able to rank their ballots. Recent adoptions for ranked-choice voting:
We are committed to bringing ranked-choice voting to more jurisdictions across the state.
Want to be involved? Find out how to support our work here!
Here’s what we’re doing across the state to build momentum:
Seattle will start using ranked-choice voting in 2027!
Added political director and team
Candidates endorsed (2024 primary)
Candidates completed our questionnaire
Coaltions
Allied orgs in Washington
National allied orgs
House Bill 2250 and Senate Bill 6156 would give local jurisdictions the option to use ranked-choice voting.
co-sponsors
signed in “pro”
allied orgs supported
cities & orgs testified in favor
hearings & work sessions
local elected from 26 cities signed open letter of support
House Bill 1592
co-sponsors
Washington State Democratic Party passed the Ranked-choice voting for presidential primaries resolution
legislative district party groups
county political groups
January 2024
advocates attended
legislative districts represented
Democrats
Republicans
legislators said we changed their mind
“With ranked-choice voting coming to Washington State, it’s time to coordinate the rollout.” —Shannon Grimes, The Sightline Institute, January 9, 2024
reached at 51 tabling events
reached at 112 presentations
reached through 14 ranked-choice voting webinars
reached through 62 phone banks
local chapter meetings
volunteer trainings
house parties
of stakeholder 1-on-1s
participated in National Donut Day ranked-choice voting poll
ADVISOR, Olympia City Council’s ranked-choice voting vacancy election (Jan. 2024)
SPONSOR, State Elections conference
SERVE on King County Elections Ranked-choice Voting Advisory Committee
