The Solution

Voting 2.0 Structural Reform

An architectural redesign of the democratic process. By decoupling party registration from participation and introducing ranked preference, we restore agency to the individual and stability to the institution.

The Blueprint

Moving from binary conflict to a multi-dimensional preference model.

Status: Phase 1 Active
Voter Satisfaction

85%

Measured across implementation zones using standardized civic metrics.

Turnout Increase

+22%

Highest engagement recorded in non-presidential mid-cycle windows.

Moderate Viability

4x

Significant increase in multi-partisan collaboration incentives.

Implementation Roadmap

Part 1

Open Primaries

A single unified ballot featuring all candidates regardless of party affiliation. Every voter participates. The top finishers advance, ensuring the general election represents the entire constituency.

Structural Impact
✓
Ends "Closed Door" gatekeeping.
✓
Incentivizes broad-base appeal.
✓
Eliminates taxpayer funding for private party elections.
Part 2

Ranked Choice Voting

Voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no one secures a majority, the least popular candidate is eliminated, and their votes flow to the next choice. This continues until a consensus is reached.

Preference Architecture
Choice 1: Alignment
Choice 2: Compromise
Choice 3: Safety

No "Wasted Votes"—consensus built through iterative elimination.

Systemic Comparison

Feature Set
Voting 1.0 (Legacy)
Voting 2.0 (Architected)
Participation
Party-Gated / Restricted
Universal / Open Participation
Candidate Choice
Binary / Single Select
Preference Ranking / Ranked List
Incentive Structure
Polarization / Base Appeal
Consensus / Broad-Base Appeal
Outcome Validity
Plurality / "Spoiler" Risks
Majority Consensus / True Mandate
Participation
Separate, party led primaries choose just one candidate from their party
Voters participate in a single, open primary where they can pick their favorite candidate, regardless of party affiliation or registration
Candidate Choice
With two major parties you end up with two major candidates. Other candidates are eliminated or marginalized
Top-5 Vote getters advance to the general election. Voters have more choices.
Incentive Structure
With only one opponent, campaigns go negative. Candidates demonize one another. Voters are polarized
Campaigns are more civil and substantive since candidates have to appeal to a broader base
Outcome Validity
On election day voters are forced to choose between only two leading candidates. Voting for third party candidates or independents risks helping the candidate they don’t want win.
General election voters rank candidates in order of preference. If your top choice gets the fewest votes, your second ranked candidate gets your vote. This continues until a candidate wins the majority of votes

Advance the Structural Reform.

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Voting 2.0

Two simple upgrades. A dramatically better result.

Today's political system (Voting 1.0) is giving us polarized candidates, negative campaigns, and a system where most Iowans feel like their vote doesn't matter. But the fix isn't complicated. We call it Voting 2.0 — and it's already working in cities and states across the country.

Primaries

upgrade 1

Single Open Primaries

General Elections

upgrade 2

Ranked Choice Voting

Upgrade 1
Single Open Primaries

Today, party-led primaries shut out independent voters. Open primaries fix that.

All the candidates appear on a single ballot. All voters participate, regardless of party affiliation. You vote for your one favorite candidate, and the top five vote-getters advance to the general election.

Sample Ballot

How Single open primaries work

Pick your favorite candidate

In the primaries, voters choose their favorite from a ballot that includes candidates from all parties. The five candidates with the most votes move forward to the general election.

Iowa PartyJoe Smith
Prairie PartyKim Brown
Freedom PartyMike Sanchez
Iowa PartyLisa Bowers
Progress partyTony Chen
Prairie partyJen Sanders
Freedom partyEd Kams
Freedom partyJim Clark

Why Single Open Primaries Work

When candidates have to appeal to all voters — not just the most passionate members of their party — they run more civil, more substantive campaigns. And with five candidates advancing instead of one, Iowans finally have real choices.

Iowa Voters

A third of Iowa voters

An equal voice for independents.

Independents, who represent 35% of Iowa voters, would finally have an equal voice in choosing who appears on the general election ballot.

Iowans Want More

8 in 10 Iowans want more options.

8 out of 10 Iowa voters want more options on the ballot. Voting 2.0 gives us that.

Upgrade 2
Ranked Choice Voting

Today, voting for the candidate you actually want can feel like throwing your vote away. Ranked choice voting fixes that.

What would ranked choice voting look like in Iowa?

Under Voting 2.0, Iowa voters rank candidates in order of preference.

If your top candidate gets the fewest votes, your vote automatically goes to your next choice. This continues until one candidate wins a true majority.

Placeholder explainer — to be replaced with a BBI-created video.

Why Ranked Choice Voting Works

Ranked Choice Voting elections can find the most popular candidate, even when voters can't agree on their first choice. That means more candidates can run without "spoiling" the election, and voters can vote their conscience without feeling their vote is "split" between two good options.

Candidates can't win by going negative or writing off voters they disagree with — they need to earn broad support. They're accountable to the voters — all of us. Even voters who rank them second or third matter. That changes how campaigns are run, and ultimately, who gets elected.

Sample Ballot

How rank choice voting works

Rank up to 5 candidates. Fill only one oval in each column.

Mark your first choice, then keep ranking. Your vote for #1 counts first, it only will move to your next choice if your higher ranked choice cannot win.

Party AffiliationChoice Ranking
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
Iowa PartySolid pick. Good backup.
Freedom PartyMeh.
Iowa PartyYour first choice - the one you absolutely want to win.
Prairie PartyAbsolutely no way.
Freedom PartyFine, but not great.

Your #1 vote is NEVER wasted. It only moves to the next choice if your previous choice is eliminated!

That pit in your stomach when you cast your vote for the lesser of two evils? Gone. Your vote actually reflects what you want.

“

What if candidates actually had to compete for your vote? Not by scaring you away from the other guy — but by showing up in your community, telling you what they stand for, and making the case for why they deserve your support. That's what Voting 2.0 makes possible.

PJ

Pete Jones

Board Member, Better Ballot Iowa

Voting 2.0

Tested. Proven. Works.

Open primaries and ranked choice voting are already in use across the country. We have decades of experience and data - and the results speak for themselves.

Example

Alaska

Alaska voters have repeatedly chosen to keep their Voting 2.0 system in place, despite repeal attempts.

52%of Alaska voters said their vote "mattered more" in 2022

In 2025, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy vetoed an education funding package that was widely popular with Alaskan voters. Because Alaska's lawmakers were accountable to voters — not party insiders — they banded together across party lines, overrode the governor's veto with a 77% supermajority, and delivered what their constituents had asked for.

Example

Maine

Before upgrading their election system, Maine regularly saw governors elected with less than 40% of the vote — meaning the majority of voters' preferred candidate lost.

Since adopting ranked choice voting, winners must earn true majority support. And the transition hasn't been complicated:

82%of Maine voters say rank choice voting is easy to use

Example

Virginia

The Virginia Republican Party used ranked choice voting to nominate Glenn Youngkin in a crowded field of five candidates. Youngkin became the first Republican to win a statewide office in 12 years. Both parties have used ranked choice voting to nominate the strongest candidate to represent their voters.

With Voting 2.0, Iowans would see:

MoreParticipation
MoreCivility
MoreVoices
MoreChoices
The result: Functional politics
And most importantly: elected officials who answer to Iowans — not increasingly extreme party politics.

This is winnable.

Better Ballot Iowa is already making progress at the statehouse, in city halls, and in communities across Iowa.

Join nearly 7,000 Iowans who are ready for something better.

Join the Movement
Better Ballot Iowa
21497 Hillsboro Ln N, Crescent, IA 51526
hello@betterballotiowa.org
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