In 1916, Jeannette Rankin achieved what most thought impossible: she was elected to the House of Representatives from the state of Montana as the first woman ever in Congress. 

Two years prior, Jeannette had harnessed the power of a generational campaign for the women’s vote in her state, pushing it over the finish line and through the ballot box. In so doing, she had doubled Montana’s electorate and endeared herself to an enormous voting bloc. Even so, her campaign was an uphill battle – not because of her political opponents, but because of unchecked oligarch corporate interference.

At the time Jeannette was running, the Anaconda Copper Mining Company controlled almost every aspect of life in Montana. It owned all of Montana’s mining interests and, by proxy, controlled the economy. They also owned all but one major newspaper and consolidated Montana’s entire power grid. As would follow, they made it a practice to bribe every State Legislator and Judge enough, so they remained perpetually in the mood to bend the knee to their will.

As a reformer, progressive, and, frankly, as a woman, Anaconda adamantly opposed Jeannette’s candidacy, to understate the matter, both funding her opponents’ campaigns to the hilt and shutting her out of newspaper coverage, which they controlled almost entirely. Jeannette countered with her renowned oratory, indefatigable constitution, and a campaign platform of change, equality, and justice.

Even so, it is safe to say she would not have won – or even come close – were it not for her secret weapon: Ranked Choice Voting.

At the time, Montana was an open state, meaning everyone could vote for both of its Congressional representatives, enabling Jeannette to run a positive, issue-based campaign. Everywhere she went, she told the Montanans, “Vote for your local man, and Jeannette Rankin.”  Rather than rely on a zero-sum strategy that pits voters against each other, hers was an additive strategy that allowed voters to come together behind a shared vision of American democracy.

In the end, Jeannette came second – by a margin of 5,000 votes – a resounding victory in a rural state with a relatively small population. 

Today, Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) continues to deliver higher rates of women’s representation because it changes both incentives and outcomes in measurable ways. Research shows that women win at equal or higher rates than men in RCV elections, and jurisdictions that use RCV often see more women candidates run in the first place.

Why? Because eliminating the vote-splitting/winner-take -all paradigm allows women to compete without being pressured to step aside for a single “viable” candidate, almost always a wealthy, white man. It also rewards coalition-building and broad appeal rather than creating political arenas that look more like the Coliseum than an Agora. The result is more competitive races, more diverse candidate pools, and governing bodies that better reflect the gender balance of the communities they serve.

It is no wonder that Jeannette Rankin advocated for RCV for six decades because she knew then what many of us are only starting to realize now: That time and again, RCV delivers a gender balanced government of, for, and by the diverse people of the United States of America.

*Join the League of Women Voters DC on Sunday, March 8th at 4pm at KBird Bar, 1333 P St NW, for an inspiring conversation about our nation’s first congresswoman, Jeannette Rankin. Author Lorissa Rinehart, of Winning the Earthquake: How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress, reveals how Rankin defied impossible odds, a hostile political machine, and the limitations of her era to become the first woman elected to Congress. WPI Exec. Director Betsy Fischer Martin will moderate the conversation. Order the Book here. Details and registration here.