Pressley Applauds Boston City Council’s Ranked Choice Voting Home Rule Petition

June 12, 2024

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) issued a statement applauding Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and Boston City Councilors At-Large Julia Mejia and Henry Santana for filing a home rule petition and ballot referendum aimed at updating Boston’s municipal electoral system to ranked choice voting.

“Ranked choice voting has proven to be a more accurate reflection of voters’ preferences for elected leadership and honors the foundational principles of representative democracy,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “With widespread efforts to suppress the vote and disenfranchise our communities nationwide, we need proactive reforms at every level of government to strengthen our democracy and empower the electorate. I’m so grateful to Councilors Louijeune, Mejía and Santana for their leadership and efforts to implement ranked choice voting in Boston. I urge the Council to pass this measure and our State House colleagues to approve it.”

Rep. Pressley has been a longtime proponent of ranked choice voting and electoral reforms that protect and expand the sacred right to vote and make our democracy more inclusive. She is a proud co-sponsor of the Ranked Choice Voting Act in Congress to adopt RCV for federal elections, and has championed an amendment to lower the federal election voting age from 18-years-old to 16-years-old.

• In December 2023, Rep. Pressley and Senator Peter Welch unveiled the Inclusive Democracy Act, brand new, first-of-its-kind legislation that would end felony disenfranchisement in Federal elections and guarantee the right to vote for incarcerated citizens. 
• In June 2023, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Rashida Tlaib introduced the Housing FIRST Act, bold legislation to help people who are formerly incarcerated and those with criminal histories access safe and stable housing.
• In February 2022, Rep. Pressley, along with Whip Jim Clyburn and Congressman Mondaire Jones called on the Department of Justice to aggressively protect voting rights and fight against disenfranchisement, gerrymandering, voter purges, and other forms of voter suppression, vote dilution, and election subversion.
• Rep. Pressley has repeatedly urged the U.S. Senate to abolish the filibuster and pass the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
• In December 2021, Rep. Pressley unveiled the FIX Clemency Act, historic legislation to transform our nation’s broken clemency system and address the growing mass incarceration crisis. 
• In March 2021, Rep. Pressley led her colleagues in re-introducing an amendment to lower the federal election voting age from 18-years-old to 16-years-old.
• Rep. Pressley has called on the Massachusetts State Legislature to pass meaningful voting rights legislation that would boost voter turnout and expand access to the ballot box.
• As a Boston City Councilor, Rep. Pressley advocated for expanded access to the ballot box, supporting legislation requiring ballots be available in multiple languages, and filing a home rule petition to allow for early voting in Boston’s preliminary and general elections.

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