Ranked Choice Voting

What is Ranked Choice Voting?

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is a simple, common-sense upgrade to our elections. Instead of choosing just one candidate, voters rank candidates in order of preference — first choice, second choice, third choice, and so on.

Single-winner RCV (instant runoff): Used for executive offices like mayor, governor, or president. If no candidate earns a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their voters’ next choices are counted. This continues until one candidate wins majority support.
Multi-winner RCV (proportional RCV): Used to elect multiple representatives at once, such as city councils or state legislatures. This ensures different groups of voters all help elect candidates, leading to a more inclusive and representative governing body.

Read below for more information about how these elections work

Why RCV Matters

The U.S. still relies on plurality, winner-take-all elections, where candidates can win with far less than majority support. That system entrenches incumbents, discourages competition, and sidelines underrepresented voices.

RCV addresses these issues by:

Ensuring majority winners in single-seat races.
Allowing voters to vote their true preferences without fear of “spoiling.”
Incentivizing more positive, coalition-building campaigns.
Saving money by eliminating costly runoffs.

Single Winner Race

Single Winner Race with Ranked Choice Voting

A single winner election is exactly what it sounds like: only one person can win. This applies to executive positions such as mayor, governor, and president.

Ranked choice voting ensures that the winner will have majority support compared to the other candidates in the field.

Below is an example of an election with multiple candidates that has to end with only one winner:

Multiple Winner Race

Multi-Winner Race with Ranked Choice Voting

A multiple winner election is also exactly what it sounds like: a group of people (of a set number) will win and represent the entire district together.

This applies to multi-member legislative bodies such as city councils, state legislatures, and the U.S. House of Representatives. Only some city councils and state legislatures currently use multi-member districts, but Representation2020 promotes the use of these districts at all levels of government.

Below is an example of how a multi-winner election with ranked choice voting would work: