Ranked Choice Voting

Ranked choice voting (RCV) is a voting method that ensures elections are fair for all voters. Instead of choosing just one candidate, voters rank candidates in order of preference: first choice, second choice, third choice and so on.

If a candidate receives more than half of the first choices, that candidate wins, just like in any other election. If no candidate receives a majority, the election moves to an “instant runoff.” The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and voters who ranked that candidate as first have their vote count for their next highest remaining choice. This process continues until one candidate wins earns a majority of the vote.

Multi-winner Ranked Choice Voting

Multi-winner ranked choice voting uses the same ballot, but instead of electing one winner, it fills multiple seats in a single election. Voters rank candidates in order of preference and can rank as many or as few candidates as they like. Ranking additional candidates will never hurt a voter's first choice, so there is no advantage to voting for only one candidate.

Instead of needing a majority of the vote, candidates must receive enough support to win one of the available seats. This number, called the threshold, depends on how many seats are being filled. For example, if there are three seats to fill, a candidate who earns more than 25% of the vote wins a seat.

If a winning candidate receives more votes than are needed to reach the threshold, a small portion of each of that candidate's votes is passed along to voters' next-ranked choices. This allows those voters to help elect another candidate instead of having more support than was needed for the first winner. If no additional candidate reaches the threshold, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and those voters' ballots are counted for their next-ranked candidate. This process continues until all seats have been filled.