- Also called:
- ranked-choice voting, alternative voting, or instant runoff
- Related Topics:
- Ranked-choice voting
- voting
ranked voting
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What is ranked voting?
Ranked-choice voting (RCV), also called alternative voting, is a voting method where voters rank candidates in order of preference. If a candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, they win the election. If no candidate wins a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and votes for that candidate are reassigned based on the voter's next choice until a candidate wins a majority.
RCV aims to ensure the winner has support from a majority of voters. It can save costs by eliminating the need for runoff elections. However, it can complicate voting and delay results, as tabulation continues until all ballots are counted. Some argue RCV can eliminate candidates with the most first-place votes and may incentivize voters to manipulate the system.
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How do people mark their choices in a ranked voting system?
In a ranked voting system, voters mark their choices by ranking candidates in order of preference. Voters can rank as many candidates as they like, from ranking just one to ranking all. If a candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, that candidate wins the election. If no candidate receives a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and the voters who ranked that candidate first have their votes reassigned to their next-highest-ranked candidate. This process repeats until a candidate wins a majority.
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How does ranked voting decide the winner of an election?
In ranked-choice voting (RCV), voters rank candidates, and to win an election, a candidate must receive a majority (more than 50%) of the votes. If no candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Voters who ranked the eliminated candidate as their first choice have their votes reassigned to their next-highest-ranked candidate. This process repeats until a candidate wins a majority of the votes. This eliminates the need for a second round of campaigning and voting and ensures that winners have support from the majority of voters.
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What are some types of ranked voting methods, like instant-runoff voting?
Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is a form of proportional voting where voters rank candidates in order of preference. Also called alternative voting (AV), ranked voting, and instant runoff, RCV ensures a winning candidate has majority support.
If no candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and votes are reassigned based on the next-highest-ranked candidate until a candidate wins a majority.
Other types of ranked voting methods include:
- Preferential voting In this system, voters indicate their order of preference for each candidate. If no candidate receives a majority of first preferences, second and subsequent preferences are counted until a candidate obtains a majority.
- Single transferable vote With the single transferable vote, a voter’s ballot can be transferred from a first-choice candidate who has already secured enough votes to a candidate marked as a second or third choice.
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What are some reasons ranked voting is used instead of regular voting methods?
Ranked-choice voting is used because it can be less expensive and ensures winners have majority support. It increases voter choice by allowing votes to be reassigned to second choices if the first choice doesn't win. This system encourages more candidates to run, reduces negative campaigning, and increases voter turnout, as candidates seek support beyond their base. Unlike a plurality system, ranked-choice voting aims for a majority, avoiding situations where a candidate wins with only a minority of votes. However, it can eliminate candidates with the most first-place votes and may incentivize tactical voting.
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What are some challenges or criticisms of ranked voting systems?
Ranked-choice voting (RCV) faces criticisms regarding complexity, potentially delaying election results, and increasing vulnerability to fraud. Critics argue RCV can eliminate candidates with the most first-place votes and favor those with only marginal support. Some believe RCV is overly complicated, eliminating the simple transparency of "the candidate with the most votes wins".
In 2016, California Governor Jerry Brown, Jr. vetoed a bill to expand RCV in his state, calling it "overly complicated and confusing". The Center for Election Science notes RCV tabulation requires centralizing all ballot data, raising security and logistical concerns. Critics suggest RCV incentivizes voters to falsify their preferences, tactically gaming the system.
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Ranked voting is a method of election in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. If any single candidate receives a majority of first-preference votes, that candidate is deemed elected. If no candidate clears this hurdle, the last-place candidate is eliminated and that candidate’s second preferences are reapportioned to others and so on until a candidate clears the threshold of 50 percent of the vote plus one.
Unlike the single-transferable-vote method used in places such as Ireland and Malta, where each constituency elects multiple members, districts using the ranked voting method elect only a single candidate. Voters may rank any number of candidates they like, from selecting only one candidate to rank ordering all candidates. Ranked voting is used in parliamentary elections in Australia and Papua New Guinea for local elections in several U.S. states, and for presidential elections in Ireland. A variant, the supplementary vote, in which candidates may rank order only their top two choices, is used in mayoral elections in London and other British cities. Another variant, the contingent vote system used in elections for president in Sri Lanka, allows voters to rank their top three candidates; if no candidate wins a majority, only the top two candidates go to a second round of counting, with the preference votes of eliminated candidates being reapportioned.
Several political parties, including the Liberal and Conservative parties of Canada and the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom use ranked voting for the election of their party leaders. Following the indecisive 2010 general election in the United Kingdom, the Liberal Democrats agreed to form a coalition government with the Conservative Party on the condition, among other things, that a referendum be held on changing the British electoral system from first-past-the-post (FPTP) in favor of ranked voting; in May 2011, however, more than two-thirds of British voters rejected ranked voting.
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Advocates of ranked voting claim that it enhances parliamentary representation by ensuring that all representatives have the support of at least a majority of their constituents (in some elections in Britain, for example, some two-thirds of MPs were elected with only a plurality of the votes) and requires candidates to appeal to a wide cross section of voters rather than to just a narrow segment of the electorate. They also argue that it encourages political moderation, as extremist political parties will rarely be a second or third choice among most voters, and discourages tactical voting (i.e., not voting for a preferred candidate who has little chance of winning) in favor of voters expressing their sincere intention.
Critics of ranked voting, who tend to favor FPTP, maintain that ranked voting is overly complicated and eliminates the simplicity and transparency of a system in which the candidate with the most votes wins. In contrast to the claim of ranked-voting supporters that ranked voting encourages moderation, critics also argue that the second and third preferences of supporters of extremist parties could decide the final results.