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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsElectionsElection LawElectoral reformVoting SystemsPolitical Representation•••Started 4mos agoActive 4 days ago

Should the federal government mandate Ranked Choice Voting for all congressional elections?

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), also known as instant-runoff voting, allows voters to rank candidates by preference (1st, 2nd, 3rd) rather than selecting just one. If no candidate wins a majority (50% + 1) outright, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their voters' second choices are redistributed to the remaining candidates until a winner is declared. This system is currently used in states like Maine and Alaska. Proponents argue it reduces negative campaigning and allows for more diverse candidates. Opponents argue it violates the traditional 'one person, one vote' principle and makes the voting process unnecessarily complex.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 4.7k America voters.

54%
Yes
46%
No
43%
Yes
37%
No
7%
Yes, it eliminates the spoiler effect so voters can support third-party candidates without wasting their vote
6%
No, winners should be decided by who gets the most votes, not by a complex formula that redistributes ballots
4%
Yes, the winner-take-all system fuels extremism and ranking candidates forces politicians to build consensus
4%
No, it is too confusing for voters and causes higher rates of ballot errors and discarded votes

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 4.7k America voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 4.7k America voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

  @EIG357  from Indiana  answered…2mos2MO

Yes, but only for Primaries.

 @BF4Q57H from Kentucky  answered…4 days4D

No, but there should be a runoff if no candidate receives a majority.

 @B7W5R34  from Pennsylvania  answered…5 days5D

No, only for elections with candidates from multiple parties or multiple candidates from the same party

 @7YS3KJP  from Arizona  answered…1wk1W

Yes, I strongly support ranked choice & STAR voting, and the small drawbacks of confusion for voters can be mitigated with better voter education, such as is present within my state. However, I would prefer that it not be done via federal mandate.

 @BDZZJ5K from New York  answered…2wks2W

No, we should move to true proportional representation rather than district-based elections that are vulnerable to gerrymandering

 @BDZG5J3 from Washington  answered…2wks2W

Yes but apply this to the entire nation (Federal, State and local elections)

 @BDYC6VZ from Indiana  answered…2wks2W

Proportional representation should be used for congressional elections.

 @B7W5R34  from Pennsylvania  answered…2wks2W

No, only for primaries

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Elizabeth Warren Walks Back Murder Comments

Congressional Democrats broadly denounced the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Friday morning, after Republicans started accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of excusing violence.“No one's condoning this,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). “Violence never is the right answer for anything. And it was a horrible murder, a tragic loss for his family.” Warren this week condemned the shooting, but added that people “can be pushed only so far.”"We'll say it over and over," Warren said on MSNBC’S “The ReidOut.” " Violence is never the answer. This guy [Luigi Mangione] gets a trial who's allegedly killed the CEO of UnitedHealth, but you can only push people so far, and then they start to take matters into their own hands."In a statement to POLITICO, Warren said, “Violence is never the answer. Period. I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.” Top Republicans denounced Warren's comments and the walked-back rhetoric, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) calling it “inappropriate and dangerous.”Some House Democrats asked about the incident on Thursday pivoted the conversation to discuss policy options on health care or gun safety.“I don't really know that this is really a space that Congress normally weighs in on,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). “But at the end of the day, I think it’s an opportunity, because now people are talking about health care and to talk about the fact that this industry has honestly not been as helpful as it could be.”“Violence is never the answer,” said Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.). “We know that there are people suffering, there’s great challenges in healthcare. There's great challenges, and people have, in fact, been wronged, but a process of governance is the way to address that, not violence.”And Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) who denounced the murder, said the killer should be prosecuted and that “I do know that allegedly a ghost gun was used, and we should also ban ghost guns. There's no reason for them beyond the streets.”

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About This Data

Based on 4.7k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should the federal government mandate Ranked Choice Voting for all congressional elections?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 25, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/polls/5544324906

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