2024 U.S. Virgin Islands caucus
On February 8, 2024, the Republican Party in the Virgin Islands held a caucus to give Virgin Islanders a direct vote for president of the United States. Voters overwhelmingly cast their ballots for Donald Trump.
Because the caucus used the same ranked choice voting method used by Republicans to nominate Gov. Glenn Youngkin, all voters were able to have their vote count for President Trump or his strongest opponent, Nikki Haley. President Trump won with 74.21% of the preference vote.
In his victory address, President Trump praised the work of the Republican Party in the Virgin Islands on a well-run and fair process: “We’re gonna make America great. We’re gonna make the Virgin Islands great again. And it’s not gonna be that tough. Because you are starting with something that’s very, very special.”
Unlike the plurality voting methods used by other states that resulted in thousands of “spoiled” ballots cast for candidates no longer in the race for president, voters in the Virgin Islands had their preferences fairly reflected in the final tally. Below are the round-by-round results.
Because ranked choice voting creates a level playing field for all candidates, eight of the Presidential contenders (Donald J. Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Perry Johnson, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Chris Christie) qualified for the ballot and campaigned in the caucus – allowing Virgin Islanders to have their issues heard as never before in their history.
In this time when voter confidence has been shaken, Republicans in the Virgin Islands used their national platform to showcase how Republicans in all states and territories can nominate candidates the right way. Voter experience was smooth, and the results were tallied quickly and accurately. The Caucus Committee enlisted the help of Republican lawyers and election administrators from Virginia and Utah with experience running ranked choice voting elections and conventions.
Additionally, independent observers flew in from the Republican National Committee, as well as from Maine, Ohio, and the District of Columbia to ensure the election was conducted to the highest standard of election integrity and fairness.
The ranked choice caucus was a success for the Virgin Islands, and we hope more state parties will consider following their example.
Testimonials
“[Ranked choice voting] ensures that there is no such thing as a wasted vote or a spoiler candidate.”
– U.S. Virgin Islands GOP Chair Gordon Ackley
“The one thing that I was really just blown away with is obviously how well the ranked choice voting actually ended up working out.”
– Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13)
“We’re a laboratory of democracies, and I think ranked choice voting can work in party primaries and conventions. And if it has a good track record, then you can make the argument to extend it.”
– John Fund, National Review
“The thing is that, with ranked choice voting, you know in a party primary that this is the majority choice of people who came. And I think that’s a better system than your dog-eat-dog multi-candidate [race].”
– Henry Olsen, Ethics and Public Policy Center
News reports
Donald Trump wins Virgin Islands caucuses, Republican party says
Scripps News, February 2024
“The territory votes using ranked choice voting, which means voters listed their preferred candidates for president in descending order.”
Trump wins US Virgin Islands caucuses, extending Haley’s losing streak
ABC News, February 2024
“Caucusgoers used ranked-choice voting, and a candidate receiving more than 50% of the vote received all of the available delegates. As of Thursday night, Trump earned about 180 votes compared to Haley’s approximately 60.”
Trump wins the U.S. Virgin Islands caucuses
NBC News, February 2024
“‘Going third-in-the-nation with an unrigged caucus using ranked-choice voting has given every candidate a fair and equal playing field and resulted in unprecedented attention for the Virgin Islands,’ U.S. Virgin Islands GOP Chairman Gordon Ackley said Thursday morning in a statement previewing the caucuses. ‘The Virgin Islands will decide the trajectory of the Republican nomination.’”
Donald Trump wins U.S. Virgin Islands Republican presidential caucus
Fox News, February 2024
“Trump and his last remaining major rival for the nomination – former U.N. ambassador and former two-term South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – were on the ballot, as well as four other candidates who have dropped out of the 2024 race. The caucus utilized ranked-choice voting.”
Virgin Islands to pick GOP delegates in historic vote
Newsmax, February 2024
“Beginning on Thursday, the Republicans on the territory will meet and, by ranked-choice voting, choose nine national convention delegates.”
Donald Trump, Nikki Haley jockey for delegates in the US Virgin Islands
The New York Post, January 2024
“The ranked-choice election process allows voters to cast their ballots for the candidate they truly prefer, argues advocate Saul Anuzis, the former chair of the Michigan GOP, who adds that the mechanism ‘doesn’t force people out early because of potential wasted votes.”
Eight Republican presidential candidates qualify for Virgin Islands caucus as date is announced
The Washington Examiner, October 2023
“‘The Virgin Islands caucus will be a free, fair, and honest election,’ [Virgin Islands GOP Chair Gordon] Ackley said in a statement. ‘Preferential, or ranked choice, voting gives every candidate a level playing field to compete and earn a majority of the vote.’”