Editing Approval voting (section)

=== Current electoral use ===
====Latvia====
The [[Saeima|Latvian parliament]] uses a modified version of approval voting within [[open list proportional representation]], in which voters can cast either positive (approval) votes, negative votes or neither for any number of candidates.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How do elections work in Latvia? |url=https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/how-do-elections-work-in-latvia/|access-date=28 July 2024 |website=Electoral Reform Society |language=en}}</ref>

====United States====
;Missouri
In November 2020, [[St. Louis, Missouri]], passed Proposition D with 70% voting to authorize a variant of approval ([[unified primary]]) for municipal offices.<ref name="St. Louis approves">{{cite web |last= |first= |date=November 4, 2020 |title=St. Louis Voters Approve Nonpartisan Elections |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/missouri/articles/2020-11-04/st-louis-voters-approve-nonpartisan-elections |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614075134/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/missouri/articles/2020-11-04/st-louis-voters-approve-nonpartisan-elections |archive-date=June 14, 2021 |access-date=December 3, 2020 |work=U.S. News & World Report}}</ref> In 2021, the [[2021 St. Louis mayoral election|first mayoral election with approval voting]] saw Tishaura Jones and Cara Spencer move on to the general with 57% and 46% support. Lewis Reed and Andrew Jones were eliminated with 39% and 14% support, resulting in an average of 1.6 candidates supported by each voter in the 4 person race.<ref>{{cite news |last=Clancy |first=Sam |date=March 2, 2021 |title=Tishaura Jones, Cara Spencer advance to general election in race for St. Louis Mayor |url=https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/politics/elections/tishaura-jones-cara-spencer-st-louis-mayor-race/63-34335593-223a-431b-ac63-b17eb2495841 |work=KSDK |location=St. Louis, MO |access-date=May 22, 2024}}</ref>

;North Dakota
In 2018, [[Fargo, North Dakota]], passed a local ballot initiative adopting approval for the city's local elections, becoming the first United States city and jurisdiction to adopt approval.<ref name="Fargo approves">[https://ivn.us/2018/11/06/one-americas-famous-towns-becomes-first-nation-adopt-approval-voting/ One of America's Most Famous Towns Becomes First in the Nation to Adopt Approval Voting] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107185459/https://ivn.us/2018/11/06/one-americas-famous-towns-becomes-first-nation-adopt-approval-voting/|date=November 7, 2018}}, accessed November 7, 2018</ref><ref name="Fargo votes">{{cite web |last=Moen |first=Mike |date=June 10, 2020 |title=Fargo Becomes First U.S. City to Try Approval Voting |url=https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2020-06-10/civic-engagement/fargo-becomes-first-u-s-city-to-try-approval-voting/a70495-1 |access-date=December 3, 2020 |work=Public News Service}}</ref> Previously in 2015, a Fargo city commissioner election had suffered from six-way [[Vote splitting|vote-splitting]], resulting in a candidate winning with an unconvincing 22% [[Plurality (voting)|plurality]] of the vote.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Piper|first=Kelsey|date=November 15, 2018|title=This city just approved a new election system never tried before in America|url=https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2018/11/15/18092206/midterm-elections-vote-fargo-approval-voting-ranked-choice|access-date=July 8, 2020|website=Vox|language=en}}</ref>

The first election was held June 9, 2020, selecting two city commissioners, from seven candidates on the ballot.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Amundson|first=Barry|date=June 9, 2020|title=Strand and Preston emerge as leaders in Fargo City Commission race|url=https://www.inforum.com/news/government-and-politics/6528646-Strand-and-Preston-emerge-as-leaders-in-Fargo-City-Commission-race|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610194537/https://www.inforum.com/news/government-and-politics/6528646-Strand-and-Preston-emerge-as-leaders-in-Fargo-City-Commission-race|archive-date=June 10, 2020|access-date=July 8, 2020|website=INFORUM|language=en}}</ref> Both winners received over 50% approval, with an average 2.3 approvals per ballot, and 62% of voters supported the change to approval in a poll.<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 17, 2020|title=Fargo's First Approval Voting Election: Results and Voter Experience|url=https://www.electionscience.org/commentary-analysis/fargos-first-approval-voting-election-results-and-voter-experience/|access-date=July 8, 2020|website=The Center for Election Science|language=en-US}}</ref> A poll by opponents of approval was conducted to test whether voters had in fact voted strategically according to the Burr dilemma.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Nagel|first=Jack H.|date=2007|title=The Burr Dilemma in Approval Voting|url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2508.2007.00493.x|journal=The Journal of Politics|language=en|volume=69|issue=1|pages=43–58|doi=10.1111/j.1468-2508.2007.00493.x|s2cid=154179804|issn=0022-3816|url-access=subscription}}</ref> They found that 30% of voters who [[Bullet voting|bullet voted]] did so for strategic reasons, while 57% did so because it was their sincere opinion.<ref>{{Cite web|last=RCV for Colorado|title=Approval Voting Case Study|url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/11_puAt_0JYw0NSL2ykqGz_bZfmic45AP/view?usp=sharing&usp=embed_facebook|url-status=live|access-date=March 4, 2021|website=Google Docs|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124095738/https://drive.google.com/file/d/11_puAt_0JYw0NSL2ykqGz_bZfmic45AP/view?usp=sharing&usp=embed_facebook |archive-date=November 24, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Guest opinion: Emma Donahue and Linda S. Templin: Ballot issue 2E just makes sense - Ranked Choice Voting for Colorado|url=https://rcvforcolorado.org/guest-opinion-emma-donahue-and-linda-s-templin-ballot-issue-2e-just-makes-sense/|url-status=live|access-date=March 4, 2021|website=RCV for Colorado|language=en-US|quote=Triton Polling called Fargo voters and found that a significant number had gamed that voting method by bullet voting, just like the experts said they would.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130073843/https://rcvforcolorado.org/guest-opinion-emma-donahue-and-linda-s-templin-ballot-issue-2e-just-makes-sense/ |archive-date=November 30, 2020 }}</ref> Fargo's second approval election took place in June 2022, for mayor and city commission. The incumbent mayor was re-elected from a field of 7 candidates, with an estimated 65% approval, with voters expressing 1.6 approvals per ballot, and the two commissioners were elected from a field of 15 candidates, with 3.1 approvals per ballot.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hamlin |first=Aaron |date=June 16, 2022 |title=Fargo's Second Approval Voting Election Runs Smoothly |url=https://electionscience.org/commentary-analysis/fargos-second-approval-voting-election-runs-smoothly/ |access-date=July 6, 2022 |website=The Center for Election Science |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2023, the North Dakota legislature passed a bill which intended to ban approval voting. The bill was vetoed by governor [[Doug Burgum]], citing the importance of "home rule" and allowing citizens control over their local government. The legislature attempted to overrule the veto but failed.<ref>{{cite news |last=Carvel |first=Tasha |date=April 19, 2023 |title=Fargo approval voting survives after Senate fails to override Burgum veto of ban |url=https://kfgo.com/2023/04/19/794980/ |work=The Mighty 790 KFGO |location=Fargo, ND |access-date=May 22, 2024}}</ref> In April 2025, Governor [[Kelly Armstrong]] signed a bill banning [[ranked-choice voting]] and approval voting in the state, ending the practice in Fargo.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dura |first1=Jack |title=North Dakota governor signs bill doing away with Fargo’s unusual voting system |url=https://apnews.com/article/fargo-north-dakota-legislature-voting-elections-8f85df3e17bf77fd7af41693569831ac |access-date=9 May 2025 |date=April 16, 2025 |work=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>