We, the undersigned members and supporters of the Western New York Ranked Choice Voting Coalition, urge you to adopt a local resolution to amend the Erie County Charter to implement ranked choice voting (RCV) for county elections. The Erie County Charter Revision Commission's recent letter to the Legislature highlighted significant public interest in adopting RCV, among other electoral reforms.

The Western New York Ranked Choice Voting Coalition is dedicated to expanding voter choice, increasing civic participation and ensuring that elections in WNY reflect the true will of the people. We believe that RCV will strengthen our democracy by making elections more fair, representative and accessible for all.

The benefits of ranked choice voting:
(1) RCV gives voters more choices on their ballots: Single-choice voting pressures voters to choose the “lesser of two evils.” With RCV, voters can rank candidates in order of preference. If their top choice withdraws or lacks support, their vote transfers to the next candidate they prefer. This empowers voters to vote honestly and in a way that aligns with their values, rather than strategically.
(2) RCV promotes more positive, issues-focused campaigns: Because candidates must not only appeal to their own base, but also to constituents’ second or third choice for other voters, RCV fosters more positive, issue-driven campaigns. Multiple studies show candidates in RCV elections are more likely to engage each other, and voters report lower levels of perceived negativity in campaigns.
(3) RCV promotes equity and representation: RCV elections have a track record of improving the election rates of women and candidates of color. In recent years, RCV helped elect the first Alaska Native member of Congress, a majority-female NYC Council, and majority BIPOC councils in Minneapolis and Salt Lake City. Voters of color are also more likely to use multiple rankings, which boosts their influence in final outcomes.
(4) RCV is popular and easy to use: Across the more than 62 jurisdictions and 13 million voters who currently use RCV, satisfaction rates are consistently high. In Alaska, 79% of voters said RCV was simple to use. In New York City, 95% found the ballot easy to understand, and 77% want to keep using RCV.

With each election cycle, the benefits of ranked choice voting becomes clearer: greater voter empowerment, better candidate selection, more civil discourse, and a stronger, more inclusive democracy. Given the successful implementation of RCV in over 62 other jurisdictions, and the expressed interest from Erie County residents, we believe it's time to bring this reform to our county.

We respectfully request that the Erie County Legislature:
- Amend the County Charter to adopt RCV for county elections.
- Engage with the community to ensure a transparent and inclusive implementation process.
- Provide voter education to facilitate a smooth transition to the new voting system.

Thank you for considering this important step toward strengthening our democratic processes.

Sincerely,
The Western New York Ranked Choice Voting Coalition

Sources:
https://www4.erie.gov/legislature/sites/www4.erie.gov.legislature/files/2025-05/updated-letter-with-nys-elected-officals-5.15.25.pdf https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/4293 
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261379416000299?via%3Dihub
​ https://fairvote.org/alaska-natives-are-embracing-ranked-choice-voting/
​ https://www.representwomen.org/nyc_wasn_t_an_outlier
​ https://fairvotemn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/RCV-by-the-numbers_Minneapolis.pdf
​ https://apnews.com/article/lakes-race-and-ethnicity-utah-salt-lake-city-4e2e23fc6896bbc88dcdf7b9ee4ad5ea
​ https://alaskansforbetterelections.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Patinkin_Alaska_Exit_Poll.pdf
​ https://www.nyccfb.info/pdf/2021-2022_VoterAnalysisReport.pdf
​ https://www.rcvresources.org/where-is-rcv-used