Ranked Choice Voting

An electoral system in which voters rank candidates in order of preference on their ballots. Instead of voting for just one candidate, voters have the option to express their preferences for multiple candidates.

How Ranked Choice Voting works

  • Voters rank the candidates in order of preference. They mark their first-choice candidate as 1, their second choice as 2, and so on.

  • In the initial round of counting, only the first-choice votes are considered. If a candidate receives more than half of the first-choice votes, that candidate wins. If no candidate has a majority, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated.

  • If a voter's first-choice candidate is eliminated, their vote is transferred to their next preferred candidate still in the race. This process continues until a candidate receives a majority of votes.

  • The candidate with the majority of votes after the redistribution process is declared the winner.

Ranked Choice Voting Benefits:

  1. Majority Support: It ensures that the winning candidate has majority support (50%+), as opposed to a candidate winning with a plurality (the most votes but not necessarily more than half).

  2. Reduced Negative Campaigning: Candidates may seek to appeal to a broader range of voters, as they may need second or third-choice support to win.

  3. Minimized Vote Splitting: Voters can support their preferred candidate without worrying about "wasting" their vote or causing vote splitting that could harm similar candidates.

  4. Elimination of Runoff Elections: RCV can eliminate the need for separate runoff elections, saving time and resources.