Making Organizational Endorsements for a Ranked Choice Voting Election Some
considerations
Using
ranked choice voting (RCV) to make organizational endorsements: RCV
method to endorse only one candidate Voters
rank their candidates, 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice and so on. They
should pick a different candidate for each ranking, and the number of
rankings allowed can be unlimited. First
determine how many ballots you have, and then what a winning majority is.
A majority is defined as greater than 50% of the vote. So if you have 100
ballots, a majority is 51, if you have 75 ballots, a majority is 38 votes.
Second,
count all the number 1 rankings. Sort the ballots into piles, one pile for
each candidate. Does any candidate have a majority of first rankings? If
so, that candidate is endorsed. If not, the ìinstant runoffî begins. Third,
the candidate with the least number of first rankings is eliminated, and
all ballots that ranked that candidate first go to each ballotís runoff
choice ñ the number two ranking on each ballot. Move each ballot to the
pile of the continuing candidate that is ranked second on these ballots.
If any ballots do not have a second ranking, that ballot no longer is in
play and goes into the ìexhaustedî pile. Fourth,
does any candidate now have a majority of continuing ballots still in play
(those not in the exhausted pile)? If
so, that candidate is endorsed. If not, repeat Step Three above, and
continue to do that until one candidate reaches the majority threshold. SAMPLE
BALLOT
This
approach allows you to come up with 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice endorsements
on a single ballot. One of the candidates in the running can be No Other
Candidate (NOC) in case some in your organization wish to limit the number
of endorsements. This method is very similar to Method One above, except
that you use the same ballots and count them three different times, once
for each ranking. HOWEVER,
you drop the candidate who won the previous endorsement from consideration
when recounting the ballots. Just
like Method One above, voters rank their candidates, 1st choice, 2nd
choice, 3rd choice and so on. They should pick a different candidate for
each ranking, and the number of rankings allowed can be unlimited. First
determine how many ballots you have, and then what a winning majority is.
A majority is defined as greater than 50% of the vote. So if you have 100
ballots, a majority is 51, if you have 75 ballots, a majority is 38 votes.
Second,
count all the number 1 rankings. Sort the ballots into piles, one pile for
each candidate. Does any candidate have a majority of first rankings? If
so, that candidate is endorsed. If not, the ìinstant runoffî begins. Third,
the candidate with the least number of first rankings is eliminated, and
all ballots that ranked that candidate first go to each ballotís runoff
choice ñ the number two ranking on each ballot. Move each ballot to the
pile of the continuing candidate that is ranked second on these ballots.
If any ballots do not have a second ranking, that ballot no longer is in
play and goes into the ìexhaustedî pile. Fourth,
does any candidate now have a majority of continuing ballots still in play
(those not in the exhausted pile)? If
so, that candidate is endorsed. If not, repeat Step Three above, and
continue to do that until one candidate reaches the majority threshold. Fifth,
now you have a first-endorsed candidate. To
figure out your organizationís second-endorsed candidate, recount all
the ballots using Steps 1-4 above. However, DROP the name of the
first-endorsed candidate from the counting. For all ballots that ranked
this candidate, skip over that ranking to the ballotís next ranking.
Count the ballots until you reach the second-endorsed candidate for your
organization. If No Other Candidate (NOC) is selected as your
second-endorsed candidate, then your organization makes no further
endorsements. Sixth,
repeat Step 5 for your third-endorsed candidate. |