The Democratic Party champions voting rights, but our own presidential primary rules actively discard millions of votes. The DNC’s proposed rules for 2028 delegate selection limit ranked choice votes to their first selection. While I don’t view this as a ban, I don’t agree with the language in the rule and support removing it from the rules.
Why it matters: Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is an essential tool we should be embracing to build coalitions, prevent incumbent protection, and ensure every voter is heard. The party would be foolish to reject it.
The “Ban” that isn’t a Ban
The Democratic National Committee (DNC)’s Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) is the most powerful committee at the DNC, defining the rules that we use to select our presidential nominees. At a May meeting, DNC At-Large member Frank Leone proposed the highlighted text below as an amendment to rule 14A:
Delegates shall be allocated in a fashion that fairly reflects the expressed presidential preference or uncommitted status of the primary voters or, if there is no binding primary, the convention and/or caucus participants. No ballot used for purposes of allocation of delegates among presidential preference shall permit voters to express more than one presidential preference. Where state law provides for multiple presidential preferences in a primary, only the first round will be considered for delegate allocation purposes.
In short: States are allowed to use RCV, but the DNC will only count a voter’s first choice.
While this means states using RCV can still technically participate in the convention, it completely strips the system of its actual utility when it comes to allocating national delegates.
How we Nominate for President
The presidential nominating process is notoriously complex, relying on a maze of primaries, caucuses, and state conventions to ultimately select the national delegates who pick the nominee.
Since the 1960s, the DNC has mandated a proportional system. State contests are not winner-takes-all; instead, any candidate who secures at least 15% of the vote is entitled to a proportional share of delegates to the National Convention. Technically, this means up to seven candidates could earn delegates from a single state.
Why this is a Problem
The real problem behind the RBC’s rule change seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding or fear of Ranked Choice Voting. Critics often argue that RCV might turn the proportional system back into a winner-takes-all contest, unfairly shutting out candidates who clear the 15% hurdle but don’t place first.
But by rejecting RCV, our current process disenfranchises voters who support an underdog.
Consider this scenario: Imagine a crowded primary where three progressive candidates get 14%, 12%, and 10% of the vote. Under current DNC rules, because they missed the 15% threshold, these candidates are declared “non-viable.” As a result, all 36% of those votes are effectively thrown in the trash when calculating national delegates. Their voices are completely discarded.
Ultimately, the RBC must approve the delegate selection plans for all 57 states and territories. Even without this restrictive language in Rule 14A, the RBC would likely force states to only use first preferences. We are fighting a very public battle over a technicality that is acting as a proxy for the party establishment’s broader resistance to RCV.
A Modest Proposal
There could be a better way. If this “ban” is removed, states that use RCV could implement a system that respects both proportional representation and the voter’s full ballot:
- Use first preference to decide which candidates are viable (i.e., those who receive at least 15% of people’s first choices)
- For anyone whose first choice is “not viable”, the ballot can be reallocated their highest-tanked candidate that did meet the 15% threshold
This is not a radical change. It doesn’t break the DNC’s beloved proportional system, nor does it create a winner-takes-all dynamic. What it would do is ensure a voters ballot isn’t tossed out simply because they supported a candidate who fell short.
While not perfect, this is a step in the right direction. The Democratic Party prides itself on protecting the right to vote. Adopting rules open to RCV is an opportunity to practice what we preach and ensure every voter actually has a say in our process.
