Ranked Choice Voting

Ranked choice voting (RCV) — also known as instant runoff voting (IRV) —gives voters the option to rank candidates in order of preference: first, second, third, etc. If a candidate receives a majority of first choice votes, they win and the election is over. If no one wins a majority of votes, the ranked choices come into play– in the most common form, the candidate who receives the fewest first choice votes is eliminated, and the voters who chose that candidate as their first choice have their votes reallocated to their second choice. The process continues until a candidate achieves a majority of votes.

For more information:

• Council of State Governments
• National Conference of State Legislatures
• Fair Vote