The Kane County Board voted 14-10 Tuesday night to place an advisory referendum on ranked-choice voting on the November 2026 ballot, setting up what proponents call a long-overdue modernization of local elections and critics dismiss as a solution in search of a problem.
The nonbinding measure would gauge voter appetite for adopting ranked-choice voting in county-level primaries and general elections beginning in 2028. Under the system, voters rank candidates by preference rather than selecting a single name, with the lowest-performing candidates eliminated in successive rounds until one secures a majority. Board Chairman David Ricketts, who cast the tiebreaking procedural vote to bring the resolution to the floor last month, called the referendum a chance to let residents weigh in directly.