Greater Greater Washington and the Coalition for Smarter Growth are currently using ranked choice voting to determine the winner of their MetroGreater contest. This contest invited the public to submit small, low-cost ideas for improving riders’ experiences on the Washington DC Metro system. A panel of judges selected 10 finalists from more than 1,300 submissions, and now the public can rank the finalists online. The winning idea, which Metro has pledged to implement, will be selected using ranked choice voting. Voting ends on Friday, August 26.

This process is an outstanding way to gauge which idea will have the greatest impact. By considering voters’ full range of preferences, ranked choice voting guarantees that the winning idea will be something that a majority of voters consider beneficial. As a result, this small, low-cost improvement has the potential to improve many riders’ experiences.

The MetroGreater contest is only one example of where ranked choice voting is being used. A number of other private organizations, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, along with many colleges, cities, and countries also use ranked choice voter to produce clear, consensus winners in their elections. To see a full list of where ranked choice voting is being used, visit our page on ranked choice voting.