Victory for D.C. Voters: Ranked Choice Voting, Semi-Open Primaries Upheld in the District
WASHINGTON — On June 2, 2026, Campaign Legal Center and its clients successfully defended a citizen-led ballot initiative introducing ranked choice voting and semi-open primaries in the District. In April 2025, Campaign Legal Center intervened in a lawsuit on behalf of Initiative 83's proposer Lisa D. T. Rice and Grow Democracy DC to defend the initiative against meritless legal challenges. If successful, those legal challenges would have undermined the will of D.C. voters, who approved Initiative 83 overwhelmingly. But instead, in a victory for the people of the District, the court has rejected baseless challenges brought by partisan actors against Initiative 83, confirming that the initiative’s provisions do not violate District or federal law. The June primary is already well underway and will be conducted using ranked choice voting for the first time in the District.
“I proposed Initiative 83 to bring much-needed inclusion in D.C. elections and give a voice to residents in the District who have been significantly disenfranchised. Tens of thousands of independent voters in D.C., like me, have been left without a voice in the District’s closed partisan primary elections,” said Lisa D. T. Rice, CEO of Grow Democracy DC. “Initiative 83’s meaningful pro-democracy changes, including ranked choice voting, are straightforward and bring more inclusive opportunities for participation and more representative outcomes to our elections. Now, it is time for the D.C. Council to deliver a democracy that belongs to the people and fully fund semi-open primaries, just as it has already funded Initiative 83’s ranked choice voting provisions.”
“This ruling reinforces what voters in the District of Columbia have already made clear: Ranked choice voting and semi-open primaries are legally sound reforms that help to ensure every voice can be heard equally,” said Ben Phillips, legal counsel at Campaign Legal Center. “Initiative 83 puts the power to advance democracy directly in the hands of the people. Voters in D.C. will get to use ranked choice voting in the primary election this month and experience firsthand how this reform makes elections more inclusive and more representative.”
More than 72% of voters in D.C. voted to adopt Initiative 83 in November 2024. The D.C. Council has already voted to fund ranked choice voting for this month’s primary, the Board of Elections has mailed ranked choice ballots to D.C. voters, and organizations like Grow Democracy DC are working alongside the Board to educate voters on the practice.
The ability of voters to exercise their freedom to vote should not require them to join a political party to make their voice heard. Semi-open party primaries would end the disenfranchisement of 85,000 independent D.C. voters in primary elections, ensuring their ability to participate in the district’s highly consequential primary elections. If this provision is funded by the D.C. Council, it will go into effect for a future election.
Traditional winner-take-all elections often discourage candidates with similar platforms from running because they risk splitting the vote. With ranked choice voting, however, this “spoiler effect” disappears, meaning more diverse candidates can run without fear of undermining the chances of other like-minded candidates; they can even work together to amplify their message and ensure their shared values are represented. D.C. voters will get to use ranked choice voting for the first time in the June 2026 primary and special elections.
Read more about our case here.
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The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center advances democracy through law. We safeguard the freedom to vote, defend voters’ right to know who is spending money to influence elections, and work to ensure public trust in our elected officials.
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