RFI Statement on Evanston Ranked-Choice Voting Appeal

Reform for Illinois (RFI) will appeal a recent court decision limiting the power of Illinois municipalities to adopt ranked-choice voting – and potentially other reforms – for their local elections. 

RFI, which advocates for empowering voters with fair, accessible elections, filed a notice of appeal following a November 12 ruling by Cook County Judge Maureen Ward Kirby, which dismissed the group’s lawsuit seeking to require the Cook County Clerk to implement ranked-choice voting in Evanston.

More than 82 percent of Evanston voters approved a referendum adopting the voting method in 2022.

“We’re appealing because we disagree with this ruling, which has far-reaching implications beyond Evanston and ranked-choice voting,” said Reform for Illinois Executive Director Alisa Kaplan. “Illinois residents have a right to determine how they will be governed.”

A number of municipalities have adopted or are considering ranked-choice voting (RCV). RCV allows voters to rank multiple choices for office in elections with more than two candidates. If no candidate wins a majority of votes in the first round of counting, a series of “instant runoffs” award votes from last-place candidates to their voters’ next choices, continuing until one winning candidate remains.

RCV encourages a broader range of candidates to run, frees voters from “lesser evil” choices, decreases divisive campaigning, and can boost turnout and save the administrative cost of runoff elections.

Reform for Illinois spearheaded the movement to adopt ranked-choice voting in Evanston through referendum. The Evanston City Council subsequently passed an ordinance implementing it beginning with the 2025 municipal election this spring.

The Cook County Clerk’s office, defended by long-time Democratic party attorney Mike Kasper, maintains that the referendum is invalid and that implementing it is beyond its power – arguments that Reform for Illinois disputes. 

Perhaps the most disturbing element of the court’s ruling is a footnote that challenges the right of Evanston as a home rule municipality, clearly outlined in the Illinois Constitution, to provide for the “manner of selection” of its officers by referendum. The Illinois Attorney General’s office explicitly affirmed in 2006 that cities like Evanston could adopt ranked-choice voting by putting it on the ballot. The court’s decision contradicts that opinion and endangers’ home rule jurisdictions’ ability to govern themselves.

RFI Board President and lawsuit plaintiff David Melton noted that 79 percent of Oak Park voters approved the use of ranked-choice voting in this November’s election, and several other municipalities are considering similar steps.

“While many Illinois residents clearly support improving local democracy with ranked-choice voting, the Clerk’s office and its lawyers are grasping at legal straws to thwart the will of voters,” Melton said. “At a time when many are feeling disenchanted and disempowered by their political system, the court should not assist them.”