Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center

What Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center does

The Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center (RCVRC) is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2018, operating as a division of the Election Administration Resource Center (EIN 83-1612600) and headquartered in Kinston, North Carolina. The organization serves as a comprehensive resource hub for ranked choice voting (RCV), providing information, tools, and consulting services to voters, election administrators, policymakers, candidates, and RCV advocates across all U.S. states and Washington D.C. RCVRC covers the full lifecycle of RCV adoption — from legislative drafting and policy advocacy through election administration to post-election auditing and voter education.

RCVRC's core technology asset is RCTab (formerly the RCV Universal Tabulator), a free, open-source RCV tabulation software released under an aGPLv3 license. RCTab is the first open-source software to meet the U.S. Election Assistance Commission's Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG), certified by Pro V&V, Inc. and state-certified in Utah, Michigan, Maine, and California. It can import cast vote records from major voting systems (Hart InterCivic Verity, Unisyn OpenElect, ES&S DS200, Dominion) and combine results across multiple systems. Complementary products include RCVis (open-source RCV visualization), RCV Maps (state-by-state readiness assessments for all 50 states + D.C., updated biennially), the RCV Educational Toolbox (five-lesson course), RCV Blueprint (implementation guide), Hand Count Toolkits, and the RCV Clips podcast. RCTab was developed in partnership with Bright Spots, a San Francisco Bay Area software group, and the broader product portfolio is supported by collaborations with FairVote, the Center for Civic Design, the Equal Democracy Project at Harvard Law School, RepresentUs, and Democracy Rising.

RCVRC generates revenue through individual and organizational charitable contributions (accepted via GiveButter, Donor Advised Funds, Qualified Charitable Distributions, and stock) and through paid consulting and expert testimony services delivered to jurisdictions considering or implementing RCV. Most resources, including RCTab, RCVis, and educational materials, are distributed free of charge via the RCVRC website (rcvresources.org). The organization engages audiences through a multi-channel strategy spanning the website, the quarterly RCREVIEW newsletter, the RCV Clips podcast, webinars, the annual RCVRC Symposium, conference appearances, and earned media. Paid advisory services and select consulting engagements are delivered directly to enterprise (government) clients, while brand-building and audience development run on event-driven and community-led motions.

Name

Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center

Legal name

Election Administration Resource Center

Website

https://rcvresources.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2018 that provides information, tools, and consulting for ranked choice voting. It serves voters, election administrators, policymakers, and candidates nationwide through free open-source software (RCTab), educational resources, and direct advisory services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Election Administration Software

NAICS

Political Organizations (813940)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA)

Keywords

• Ranked choice voting
• Election administration
• Voting tabulation software
• Election consulting services
• Voter education resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Kinston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: RCVRC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The primary funding source is charitable donations from individuals and organizations. Donations can be made via credit card (through GiveButter), check, Donor Advised Funds (DAF), Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD) from IRAs, and stock donations. EIN: 83-1612600.
2. Consulting and Implementation Services: RCVRC staff offer RCV consulting services, expert testimony, and implementation guidelines to jurisdictions considering or implementing ranked choice voting. These advisory services support election administrators and policymakers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center (RCVRC) is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides information, tools, and consulting services to support ranked choice voting (RCV) elections. Its core technology offerings include RCTab, a federally tested open-source RCV tabulation software developed in partnership with Bright Spots, and RCVis, an open-source visualization tool. The organization also publishes educational toolboxes, state-by-state implementation readiness assessments (RCV Maps), and delivers paid consulting, implementation guidelines, and expert testimony to government jurisdictions.

Product overview

The Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center operates as a nonpartisan nonprofit organization (division of Election Administration Resource Center) that serves as a comprehensive resource hub for RCV rather than a single product company. The core technology product is RCTab, free open-source RCV tabulation software formerly known as the RCV Universal Tabulator, which works alongside RCVis for visualization. The organization provides an ecosystem of complementary tools including the RCV Educational Toolbox (5-lesson course), RCV Blueprint (implementation guide), RCV Maps (state assessments), and various toolkits. RCTab and RCVis form the technical foundation, while the educational and implementation resources support adoption. The organization also produces the RCV Clips podcast and collaborative guides like 'Protect the Win' with partner organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RCTab (formerly RCV Universal Tabulator) Free, open-source RCV tabulation software that can tally ranked choice voting election results using cast vote records from most voting system vendors. RCTab can combine results from multiple different voting systems into one complete final result and can be used to audit RCV results generated by other voting systems. It is the most comprehensive RCV tabulation module tested under VVSG and the first open-source software to meet VVSG standards. Distributed free to election administrators and jurisdictions.
• RCVis (RCV Visualizer) Free, open-source online RCV visualization software that creates graphics to display RCV election results, including interactive charts, graphs, and tables that can be exported to Wikipedia, embedded with HTML, or shared on social media. Uses JSON files produced by RCTab. Available to election administrators, journalists, and the public.
• RCV Maps (Multi-State Assessment Project) State-by-state overview of ranked choice voting election implementation readiness. Provides reports for all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., including high-level overviews of election practices and analysis of infrastructure changes required to implement RCV. Updated every other year. Used by policymakers and election administrators.
• RCV Educational Toolbox A five-lesson online course with slideshow presentations and companion workbooks centered on a fictional municipality called 'Choiceland,' covering Introduction to RCV, How RCV Works, Marking the RCV Ballot, How RCV Ballots Are Counted, and Planning for RCV Implementation. Designed for voters, election administrators, policymakers, and candidates.
• RCV Blueprint An election administrator's guide to building a comprehensive RCV implementation plan based on a jurisdiction's existing infrastructure. Identifies essential components of election administration that should be considered for successful RCV implementation. Targeted at state and local election administrators.
• RCV Clips Podcast RCVRC's flagship podcast covering RCV topics, featuring interviews with election administrators, advocates, and policy experts. Episodes cover implementation experiences, budgeting, special elections, voter education, and technical topics. Available free to the public.
• RCV in a Box Implementation toolkit providing comprehensive resources for jurisdictions adopting ranked choice voting, including templates, guidelines, and best practices. Designed to support the operational rollout of RCV elections.
• Protect the Win: An Advocate's Guide to Implementing RCV A resource guide created in partnership with RepresentUs and Democracy Rising to help advocates navigate the implementation phase after RCV legislation passes, covering political defense, communications, voter education, and technical implementation. Targeted at advocacy organizations and grassroots campaigns.
• Hand Count Toolkits Resources and procedures for hand-counting RCV elections, including best practices from Telluride, CO, St. Paul, MN, and Takoma Park, MD. Targeted at small jurisdictions conducting RCV by hand count.
• RCTab Resources (Reports & Documentation) Supporting materials for RCTab including the Principles and Guidelines Report, Results Presentation Testing Document, and implementation reports for using RCTab with multiple voting systems. Used by election administrators and certification bodies.
• RCV Consulting and Expert Testimony Services Paid consulting services, expert testimony, and implementation guidelines delivered by RCVRC staff to jurisdictions considering or implementing ranked choice voting. Services are sold directly to state and local election administrators and policymakers; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Quantifiable outcome

• RCTab has been certified by the State of Utah for local RCV elections and by the State of Michigan for Eastpointe's RCV elections
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Bright SpotscoreTechnology or IntegrationBright Spots is a small group of software professionals based in the San Francisco Bay Area who developed RCTab (formerly RCV Universal Tabulator) in partnership with RCVRC. They are committed to nonpartisan reforms to improve democracy. Bright Spots contributed financial support and pro bono specialized projects. RCTab is federally tested and certified. Jon Moldover, RCVRC Board Secretary, is also a leading developer of RCTab through Bright Spots Network.
• RepresentUscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresentUs partnered with RCVRC and Democracy Rising to co-create 'Protect the Win: An Advocate's Guide to Implementing RCV,' a comprehensive resource guide for advocates navigating RCV implementation. RepresentUs and RCVRC also co-hosted the 2023 RCVRC Symposium.
• Democracy RisingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDemocracy Rising, an organization focused on advocacy, implementation, and education in the RCV space, co-published 'Protect the Win: An Advocate's Guide to Implementing RCV' with RCVRC and RepresentUs. Co-Director Grace Ramsey appeared on the RCV Clips podcast discussing voter education.
• FairVotemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFairVote collaborated with RCVRC on multiple reports including 'Best Practices for Releasing RCV Election Results,' 'RCV Ballot Usage Analysis and Design Recommendations,' 'Reporting the Results of RCV Elections,' 'Post-Election Audits and RCV,' and 'Recounts of RCV Elections.' Dave O'Brien from FairVote contributed to the RCV Clips episode on drafting RCV legislation.
• Center for Civic Design (CCD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Center for Civic Design produced 'Designing RCV Ballots Best Practices' in collaboration with RCVRC and authored the ballot design sections of the Principles and Guidelines Report. CCD has a set of Field Guides to Ensuring Voter Intent that RCVRC references for ballot design best practices.
• Equal Democracy Project at Harvard Law SchoolmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Equal Democracy Project at Harvard Law School collaborated with RCVRC and FairVote on a set of RCV reports released in September 2022.
• Pro V&V, Inc.majorTechnology or IntegrationPro V&V, Inc. is an EAC-accredited voting systems test laboratory (VSTL) that certified RCTab. This certification validates that RCTab meets federal voting system standards.
• McNabb StorytellingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAward-winning filmmaker Bryce McNabb of McNabb Storytelling created the documentary-style marketing video 'Universal Tabulator: Opening the Door to Ranked Choice Voting' for RCVRC in 2021.
• New AmericaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNew America sponsored the kickoff event for the 2023 RCVRC Symposium.
• RankedVoteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRankedVote is an online RCV platform for running contests and educating voters. Featured on the RCV Clips podcast; used by jurisdictions like NYC and Alaska for mock RCV elections.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• FairVote: FairVote is the original RCV advocacy organization, co-publishing best-practice reports with RCVRC and serving overlapping audiences of policymakers, advocates, and election administrators. Directly comparable mission, content library, and policy focus on RCV.
• RepresentUs: Anti-corruption election reform advocacy organization that co-created 'Protect the Win' with RCVRC and co-hosted the 2023 RCVRC Symposium. Comparable nonpartisan advocacy mission with RCV as a flagship campaign.
• Bright Spots: Small group of software professionals that co-developed RCTab with RCVRC and provides ongoing pro bono support. Tight technical co-development relationship and shared open-source voting software mission.
• Democracy Rising: RCV implementation and education organization that co-published 'Protect the Win' with RCVRC and RepresentUs. Most directly overlapping segment (advocates and implementers) and comparable organizational size.
• Center for Civic Design (CCD): Nonprofit that produced the 'Designing RCV Ballots Best Practices' guide in collaboration with RCVRC. Same audience (election administrators and policymakers), comparable content-and-tools model focused on ballot design and voter intent.

Emerging players

• VotingWorks: Nonprofit building open-source election technology (including risk-limiting audit tools) used in several U.S. jurisdictions. Comparable open-source model and election administration focus, but with broader scope beyond RCV.
• Verified Voting: Nonpartisan nonprofit that researches and advocates on voting system security, including verifying election technology claims. Overlaps RCVRC on election-administration credibility and advisory services to policymakers.

Others

• The Election Center: National association for election officials and suppliers that runs training events RCVRC staff attend and present at. Comparable audience (election administrators) and overlapping convening function.
• Bipartisan Policy Center: Think tank that produces reports on election administration reform, including RCV. Overlaps in policy expertise and engagement with state legislatures but does not focus exclusively on RCV.
• MIT Election Data and Science Lab (MEDSL): Academic lab that collects and publishes U.S. election data and conducts research on election administration. Overlaps in analytical output used by the same policymaker and administrator audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVRRC

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center