Instant runoff voting elects political representatives with a majority of the vote in a single election. No second-round runoff election or primary election is necessary. Voters rank the candidates in order of their preference -- first choice, second choice, third choice -- and if their first choice cannot win, their vote goes to their second choice candidate as their runoff choice. Voters are liberated to vote for the candidates they really like, instead of worrying about "spoilers" or having to choose "the lesser of two evils."
How IRV Ballots Are Counted
First, only the number one rankings are counted, and if any candidate has a majority (more than 50%) of the first rankings, that candidate is elected and no runoff is necessary. If, however, no candidate has a majority, the "instant" runoff begins. Voters' rankings are used to determine a majority winner instantly. The candidate with the fewest first rankings is eliminated, and voters who cast ballots for that candidate now have their vote count for their second choice candidate. All the ballots are recounted to see if any candidate now has a majority of support. If not, the candidate with the least support once again is eliminated and ballots are redistributed and then recounted to see if any candidate has won a majority. This process of eliminating candidates and redistributing the votes continues until one candidate has more than 50% of the vote. The video to your right is a wonderfully simple and visual explanation of this process.
IRV works in much the same way as a two-round runoff system. In a two-round system, voters return to the polls a second time for the runoff. Voters then vote again for their first choice candidate if that candidate is in the race. If not, voters select a second or third choice candidate. With IRV, voters have already indicated their runoff choices ahead of time, using the rankings on their ballots to indicate who they support in a runoff if their first choice does not win. IRV eliminates the hassle of returning to the polls and the expense of holding a separate election.
In the U.S., IRV has been used successfully in many jurisdictions including Minneapolis; Burlington, Vermont; Takoma Park, Maryland; and in San Francisco, where it has saved the city millions of dollars that would have been spent on separate runoff elections. IRV is also used in North Carolina and for overseas voters who are residents of Louisiana and Arkansas.
To find out more about how Instant Runoff Voting works, watch this Flash Demonstration or visit the IRV Resources page.
