COLLINGSWOOD – On Monday, October 6th, the Collingswood Board of Commissioners passed a resolution expressing support for the Municipal and School Board Voting Options Act. This act would authorize cities and towns to use ranked-choice voting (RCV) for their local elections. Collingswood has joined a growing list of towns that have expressed a desire to use RCV for their local and school board elections including: Hoboken, Jersey City, Red Bank, Princeton, South Orange, Maplewood, Montclair, and South Brunswick.

Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is an electoral system that allows voters to rank candidates on their ballots in order of preference and ensures that the winning candidate secures majority support. Used in countries around the world, RCV has been implemented statewide in Maine and Alaska and adopted in cities such as New York City. Advocates argue that RCV better captures voters' true preferences, helps reduce political polarization, and mitigates problems like strategic voting and the "spoiler effect" that often undermine voter confidence and candidate fairness in traditional elections.

With more towns set to consider resolutions of their own in the coming months, this victory in Collingswood is yet another step towards a more sensible and democratic voting system for New Jersey.

"I'm proud that Collingswood has taken a stand in support of ranked choice voting. In a time when democracy feels under threat, this is an act of resistance, a commitment to fairness, representation, and real choice. Change starts in our communities, and today, Collingswood showed that we're ready to lead."

Collingswood Deputy Mayor Dr. Amy Henderson Riley

"The passage of this resolution in Collingswood shows that the movement for ranked-choice voting continues to gain momentum across New Jersey. Voters, whether they live in a city on the Hudson or a suburb in South Jersey, want more choices and true majority rule when they vote."

Voter Choice NJ Campaigns Team Lead Zach Kerns

"Ranked-choice voting, now used in more than 50 jurisdictions nationwide, has consistently delivered better elections for voters. It's time for the Legislature to pass enabling legislation so municipalities across the state can decide for themselves whether to adopt RCV."

Voter Choice NJ Executive Team Lead Renée Steinhagen

***********

Voter Choice NJ (VCNJ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused exclusively on nonpartisan education and advocacy for ranked-choice voting (RCV). VCNJ is a completely volunteer-based organization. It runs local campaigns for RCV across the state, and coordinates advocacy on RCV at the state level.