What is Ranked Choice Voting?

Ranked Choice Voting is used in single-winner elections for legislator, mayor, governor, etc. to let voters rank their choices in order of preference - 1, 2, 3.

It is also known as Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) or Preference Voting.

 

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How is it Different from Plurality Voting?

Ranked Choice Voting is an alternative to Simple Plurality Voting, the voting method inherited by countries previously tied to the British Empire.  In Plurality Voting, a voter marks one choice no matter how many candidates are on the ballot.  The winner “wins” by getting more vote than the second place candidate whether or not they have a majority.

 

Ranked Choice Voting lets voters note their second or third choices as well.  Among other benefits, Ranked Choice Voting accomplishes two things that Simple Plurality Voting cannot:  Allows more than two candidates to compete without any one being a “spoiler.” Ensures a majority winner.     Where Countries who now use Ranked Choice Voting, either for local or national offices, include:

How Ranked Choice Voting Works Voter’s first choices are totaled.  If a candidate gets over 50% of the vote, the candidate wins. If no candidate receives a majority of first choice ballots, the candidate receiving the fewest votes is eliminated.  Their votes go to the second or next choice of the voter.  The process continues until there is a clear winner.   Try It Out! Flash Animation Instant Runoff Voting.com Fair Vote Animation “How Instant Runoff Voting Works”

 

• Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Great Britain.
• In the U.S. ranked voting or IRV as many call it, is growing and has been adopted by San Francisco, CA; Minneapolis, MN;Burlington, VT; Tacoma Park, MD; and Cary and Hendersonville, NC, Sarasota, FL, Pierce County, WA.
• IRV is used for military and overseas voters in states with two round runoff elections like Arkansas, Louisiana and South Carolina.
• The American Political Science Association uses IRV to elect its president as do many school and college councils

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Issues wtih Plurality Voting

• In plurality elections, any candidate more than two can have a spoiler effect. A third candidate can siphon votes from the candidate with the most similar views, possibly electing the candidate with views not only the most dissimilar from the voter, but from the majority of voters as well.
• For fear of being a spoiler, candidates don’t run or are discouraged from running. If they do run, they get labeled a “spoiler” which unfortunately is a real factor as their candidacy may result in a winner opposed by the majority of voters.
• Plurality elections allow for non-majority winners.  Once more than two candidates enter a race, candidates can “win” with less than 50% of the vote.

  Examples of non-majority winners abound The majority of state governors elected since 1990! US Representatives and Senators frequently winning safe seats in party primaries with far less than a majority of votes. Since 1988, 49 states have awarded all their electoral votes to a candidate opposed by the majority of voters in that state at least once!

• Plurality voting is “anti-competitive,” mathematically tending to limit competition to two candidates.  In practice, competition is further limited as many seats and races go uncontested.
• It creates more negative, zero-sum contests.  With only two candidates running, plurality voting encourages and rewards negative campaigning.
• Conventional runoff elections are time consuming for voters and expensive for the governments involved as well as for the candidates.  An increased number of elections contributes to lower voter turnout.

 

 

Plurality Voting works when there are just two candidates or when a run-off can be held, such as in smaller groups or where it is an established practice as in many nonpartisan elections held in the U.S. or in other countries.

 

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Benefits

• Ranked Choice Voting/Instant Runoff Voting results in a majority winner.
• It’s win-win.  Major parties don’t have to worry about spoiler candidates with similar views.  Newer or third parties can field candidates and contribute to a broader debate of issues.
• More candidates and parties to run more meaningful campaigns.  This means more choices for voters and healthier debates on the issues.
• Instant runoff elections are less expensive and less time consuming for election officials and voters than conventional two round runoff elections.
• Given the option, voters like and prefer IRV and say that it is easy to use.
• Negative campaigning is reduced as candidates seek to appeal to voters who may vote for them as a second or third choice.

 

A few notes:  While voting equipment that allows voters to rank candidates is widely used, it is does require jurisdictions moving to ranked voting to make an initial investment in the change.  Ranked Choice Voting is a majoritarian system for single winner elections.  It is not a proportional system unless it is used in an election in which voters are choosing multiple winners at the same time.

 

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