If you’ve ever voted in an election, or will be voting soon for the first time in a primary or general election, you’ll probably know there is often some frustration that comes with voting. At least for me, sometimes it can feel like you are choosing between a lesser of two evils. Or maybe you want to vote for one candidate, but you feel like they’re not one of the top choices, so voting for them will feel like throwing away your vote. That’s where ranked choice voting is honestly the GOAT.Â
If you’ve never heard of ranked choice voting, don’t worry! You aren’t the only one, and I’ve got you covered. I’ve compiled everything you need to know about ranked choice voting, so you can feel more comfortable the next time you’re in the voter’s booth.Â
Basically, ranked choice voting means that instead of only choosing one candidate to vote for, you rank the candidates on a ballot from who you most want to be elected, to least. This means you choose your first, second, third choice, and so forth. It’s that easy! This way of voting is being implemented in many elections across the country — and if it’s done in your next election, you’re about to be well-prepared to head into the voting booth.
How does ranked choice voting work?
Luckily, ranked choice voting is pretty straightforward. There will be columns where you can mark your first, second, third choices and so on, and rows that say the name of each candidate. For your first choice, fill the oval under the first choice column in the row of your candidate of choice. The same applies if you have a second or third choice. Sometimes, there may be more than three, and you can rank as few or as many candidates as you want (abiding by each election’s rules), so long as you only make one choice per column. If there is any candidate you absolutely do not want your vote to count toward, you do not have to rank them at all — just leave their columns blank.
In terms of how the votes are tabulated, everyone’s first-choice vote will be tabulated first. If a candidate gets more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win! If they don’t get more than 50%, then the election is counted in rounds. Each round, the candidate with the fewest number of votes is eliminated. And if your No. 1 pick is eliminated, then your No. 2 choice gets counted as your vote. This continues until there are only two candidates left, and the candidate with the most votes wins.
What are the benefits of ranked choice voting?
The hope with using RCV is to create more representative voting. In a lot of cases, voting for one person is not representative of how a person truly feels about the candidates. It doesn’t have to be so black and white, which is why RCV can be great for those voters who want to explore more than one option.Â
Where in the United States is ranked choice voting used?
Ranked choice voting is only used state-wide in Maine and Alaska, and for special elections in Hawaii. However, it is used in local elections and some jurisdictions in 15 other states. You can find out if it is used in your local elections through the Fair Vote website.Â
How can I make ranked choice voting more common in elections?
If you believe in ranked choice voting and want to push it forward on a bigger scale, you can ask members of Congress to support RCV by joining the campaign that Fair Vote is running to expand the use of ranked choice voting.Â
While recent elections have made it feel like politics is black and white, right or left, it doesn’t have to be that way. Politics can be a spectrum, and ranked choice voting may be one way to help make your voice better heard on your ballot.