DNC Ban on Ranked Choice Voting is Approved

U.S. SENATOR ANKIT JAIN (D-DC) CONDEMNS DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR SIDING WITH ATTACKS ON DC HOME RULE (Washington, DC) -- The Democratic National Committee (DNC) voted at its August 15th meeting to approve a ban on Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for the 2028 Democratic presidential primaries, overriding an overwhelmingly popular DC law by counting only voters' first-choice rankings and barring any future jurisdiction from using RCV in presidential primaries. The vote marks the first successful nullification of DC law during the Trump presidency, coming from the DNC and not the GOP. In response, U.S. Senator Ankit Jain (D-DC) issued the following statement:

"We are used to seeing Republicans attack DC Home Rule over and over again, albeit unsuccessfully. Today, I am profoundly disappointed the Democratic National Committee joined them and succeeded. DC already sends no voting members to Congress. Now, a 45-person committee within our own party has voted to strip us of a voting method we overwhelmingly chose for ourselves, in a majority Black and Brown and all throughout Democratic city that delivers for this party election after election.

This decision will result in severe voter disenfranchisement in DC. It is not even clear DC law allows us to follow the DNC's preferred approach: we may be required to certify delegates chosen through the RCV count, setting up a standoff over whether any of DC's democratically elected delegates can be seated at all.

I am deeply disappointed in the DNC members who let this pass. Washington, DC will keep fighting for our right to govern ourselves, including within our own party. I call on DNC leadership to reverse this decision before it does lasting damage to DC voters and to the party's credibility on democracy itself."