Ranked Choice Voting: What Is Ranked-Choice Voting Explained?

What Is Ranked Choice Voting is a topic of the search for many people. Ranked-Choice voting is an electoral voting system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots. If a candidate wins by the majority of first-preference votes, he or she will be declared the winner. It collects more information from voters than the single-mark ballot system used in most governmental elections. The system has been adopted in many countries and has many benefits. This has made people curious to know What Is Ranked Choice Voting. Stay with the page and know about Ranked Choice Voting and find its explanation.  

by Suganya Vedham

Updated Jul 01, 2021

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Ranked Choice Voting: What Is Ranked-Choice Voting Explained?

Ranked Choice Voting

Ranked-Choice Voting is a voting system in which voters are given the preference to vote their candidates on ballots. If no candidate wins by the majority of first-preference votes, then the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes will get eliminated. In such a case, the first-preference votes cast for the failed candidate are eliminated. A new tally is conducted to determine which candidate has won by the majority of the adjusted votes. This process is repeated until a candidate wins by majority votes. Many are curious to know what is Ranked Choice Voting. So here are the details on Ranked Choice Voting.

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Find below a detailed explanation of Ranked Choice Voting and how it works.

Ranked-Choice Voting Explained

There are multiple ways in which rankings can be counted to determine which candidate is elected. These methods may produce different results from the same set of ballots. Ranked voting is different from cardinal voting as here candidates are independently rated rather than ranked. As of 2021, one state (Maine) had implemented RCV at the state level. In March 2021, voters in Burlington, Vermont, approved the measure to implement RCV for city council elections after revoking RCV for mayoral elections in March 2010. Those looking for how a Ranked Choice Voting system works can read further to get their answers.

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How Ranked-Choice Voting Works?

The ranked-choice voting process for single-winner elections works as follows:

  1. Voters rank the candidates of a given office by preference on their ballots.

  2. The candidate who wins the majority of first-preference votes (i.e., 50 per cent plus one) is declared the winner.

  3. If no candidates win the majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated.

  4. All first-preference votes for the failed candidate are eliminated, and the second-preference choices indicated on the ballots are lifted.

  5. A new tally is conducted to determine which candidate has won by the majority of the votes.

  6. The process is repeated until a candidate wins by the majority of votes.

Ranked-Choice Voting In The United States

The term Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) is used by the US organization as "FairVote" to refer to the use of ranked ballots with specific counting methods: either instant-runoff voting for single-winner elections or single transferable vote for multi-winner elections. In the US, the Ranked-choice voting is used for state primary, congressional, and presidential elections in Alaska and Maine and for local elections in more than 20 US cities, including Cambridge, Massachusetts; San Francisco, California; Oakland, California; Berkeley, California; San Leandro, California; Takoma Park, Maryland; St. Paul, Minnesota; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Portland, Maine; Las Cruces, New Mexico; and St. Louis Park, Minnesota. It is said that New York City has the largest voting population in the US that has opted for RCV.

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The guide on what is Ranked Choice Voting has been provided, along with full details. Read the article to know all about Ranked-Choice Voting.


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Ranked Choice Voting - FAQs

1. What is Ranked-Choice Voting system?

It is an electoral voting system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots.

2. How Ranked-Choice Voting works?
  1. Voters rank the candidates of a given office by preference on their ballots.
  2. The candidate who wins the majority of first-preference votes (i.e., 50 per cent plus one) is declared the winner.
  3. If no candidates win the majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated.
  4. All first-preference votes for the failed candidate are eliminated, and the second-preference choices indicated on the ballots are lifted.
  5. A new tally is conducted to determine which candidate has won by the majority of the votes.
  6. The process is repeated until a candidate wins by the majority of votes.
3. What is the benefit of Ranked-Choice Voting system?

It collects more information from voters than the single-mark ballot system used in most governmental elections.

4. What is the use of Ranked-Choice Voting system in the US?

It is used for state primary, congressional, and presidential elections.

5. What is Ranked-Choice Voting called in the US?

It is called as FairVote in the US.

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