Two weeks before Election Day, activists gathered online to support state ballot initiatives aimed at changing voting methods. Despite high hopes, the election reform movement faced widespread defeats. Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and South Dakota rejected proposals for ranked choice voting and open primaries.
These reforms sought to place all candidates on the same ballot, with top finishers advancing to the general election, and allowed voters to rank candidates by preference.
Despite raising about 110 million for these measures, advocates couldn't sway most voters. Trent England, executive director of Save Our States, noted that many Americans prefer traditional voting methods.
The movement had seen some success in Alaska and Nevada in previous years, but Nevada voters reversed their support this year. In Alaska, a repeal attempt for open primaries and ranked choice voting narrowly failed with 49.9 support. Final results are expected to be certified on November 30.
