We, the undersigned residents, voters, and supporters of the Western New York Ranked Choice Voting Coalition, urge the Buffalo Common Council to pass a local resolution to amend the Buffalo City Charter to implement ranked choice voting (RCV) for city elections.

Why We Support 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 is eliminated due to lack 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 constituent's second, third, and so on for their votes, RCV fosters more positive, issue-driven campaigns. Multiple studies show candidates in RCV elections are more likely to engage each other in constructive campaigning that builds coalitions around issues, 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.

We call on the Buffalo Common Council to:
- Amend the Buffalo City Charter to adopt ranked choice voting for city elections.
- Engage the community in a transparent, inclusive implementation process.
- Invest in voter education to ensure a smooth and accessible transition.

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 local residents, we believe it's time to bring this reform to our city.

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

Sources:
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