Democratic politicians and activists are quietly lobbying to upend the way the party picks its presidential nominee by urging the use of ranked-choice voting.
- It's a tool that drew national attention when it propelled New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to a decisive primary win.
Driving the news: Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin and other top party officials have met privately with advocates who are pushing for the voting method to be expanded for the 2028 presidential primaries, three sources tell Axios.
- Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Joe Biden pollster Celinda Lake, the nonprofit FairVote Action and other Democrats pitched the idea at a late October meeting, the sources said.
Zoom in: Supporters of the change — which would allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference — told those at a DNC breakfast gathering in D.C. that it would strengthen and unite the party.
- They said it would prevent people's votes from being "wasted" after presidential candidates drop out, and encourage coalition-building among contenders — an attention-grabbing pitch in light of the party's divisive primaries in 2016 and 2020.
The idea has gotten a mixed response within the DNC. "I'm totally open to ranked-choice voting," one committee member said.
- A second DNC member was more skeptical: "We should follow the lead of the states. They know better."
- Critics say it would increase waiting times at the polls and be a logistical quagmire. Others argue it would lengthen the primary, for better or worse.
For the DNC to approve the use of ranked-choice voting in primaries, it would need the support of the powerful rules and bylaws committee and a majority of the 450-member body. State parties also would need to OK it, and many states would need to amend their election laws.
What they're saying: "It favors positive politics rather than negative politics, and that's a great thing for the Democratic Party primaries," Raskin told Axios. "Oftentimes there's a sense of acrimony and bitterness that can last decades. Think about the race between Hillary and Bernie Sanders."
- Lake told us: "It gives a better chance to new faces, outsider candidates, people with grassroots movements, people who run positive campaigns, people who have something new to offer. It really meets the moment."
- A DNC spokesperson declined to comment.
Zoom out: The push to shape how and when voters cast their ballots — and how votes are assessed — is part of the early wrangling over the rules of the primary contests.
- Internal debates over the primary calendar — namely which states vote early in the primaries — are another key part of that dance.
- Besides New York City, states and localities that have adopted ranked-choice voting include Alaska, Maine, San Francisco and Minneapolis.
