Frequently
Asked Questions about Ranked Choice Voting (RCV)
(also known as Instant Runoff
Voting or IRV)
What
is
ranked
choice voting?
Ranked
choice voting (RCV) is a way to determine a majority winner in a single
election, eliminating the need for a December runoff election.
Voters indicate their runoff choices in advance by ranking candidates in
order of choice (1, 2, 3) so that no runoff
election is necessary if no candidate receives an outright majority.
Why
use ranked choice voting?
Ranked
choice voting will allow
San Francisco
to make sure that its elected officials have support from a majority of
voters, and determine this in a single election in November. By using
ranked choice voting
…
San Francisco
will save millions of tax dollars previously wasted on a December runoff
…
Candidates won't have to raise as much money
for a second election, supporting the goals of campaign finance reform
…
Coalition-building will be encouraged and
negative campaigning discouraged by the need to appeal for number two
rankings from the supporters of other candidates
…
The final election in November will be when
voter turnout tends to be highest
…
Voters will be liberated to vote for the
candidates they really like, instead of the "lesser of two
evils"
By
using ranked choice voting,
San Francisco
is leading the way and demonstrating to the rest of the nation an
innovation of democracy that, if used in our presidential election,
would get rid of the ìspoiler problemî even as it allowed multiple
candidates with a diversity of views to run and expand political debate.
How
does ranked choice voting (RCV) work?
Ranked
choice voting, which is also known as instant runoff
voting, acts like a series of runoff elections. If anyone receives a
majority of the first choice rankings, that candidate is elected. If
not, the last place candidate is defeated, just as in a runoff election,
and all ballots are counted again, but this time each ballot cast for
the defeated candidate counts for the next-choice candidate listed on
each ballot. The process of eliminating the last place candidate and
recounting the ballots continues until one candidate receives a majority
of the vote. You can see a short movie of how RCV will work in
San Francisco
, including what the
voter must do and how ballots are counted, on the web at http://www.sfrcv.com/vote/
Who
will be elected using ranked choice voting?
On
November 2, 2004
,
San Francisco
voters will use ranked choice voting to elect Supervisors for districts
1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. RCV does not apply to elections for School
Board or Community College Board, or to
candidates for State or federal office.
In the future, San Francisco voters will use RCV to elect Members
of the Board of Supervisors for districts 4, 6, 8, and 10 as well as the
Mayor, Sheriff, District Attorney, City Attorney, Treasurer,
Assessor-Recorder, and Public Defender.
What
kind of voting equipment will be used to count the ballots?
San Francisco
will use the same voting equipment that it has used since 2000, an
ìoptical scanî system (i.e. NOT touchscreens)
with a fully voter-verified paper trail (your paper ballot).
The ballot scanning in the precincts will be done by the Optech
Eagles, and absentee ballots by the central scanner, the Optech
IV-C, both of which are manufactured and designed by Election Systems
and Software (ES&S). The RCV-ready equipment has been put through
rigorous federal and state testing of hardware, software, firmware, and
procedures. The equipment
has been certified by the Secretary of State.
Does
the Department of Elections still have to decide what happens to a
particular ballot if a voter skips a ranking, or ranks the same
candidate twice?
No. All the parameters of how to count the ballots
already have been programmed into the software and tested by state and
federal authorities during mock elections called "functional
testing" or "end-to-end testing."
Parameters such as: what happens to a ballot if a voter ranks a
first choice, accidentally skips a second choice, and ranks a third
choice; or if a voter accidentally does not rank a first choice but
ranks a second and third choice; or ranks the same candidate twice, and
many other such possibilities, all of these have been programmed into
the software according to rules specified in the charter and will be
dealt with in such a way as to count as many ballots as possible.
Also,
the optical scan voting equipment comes with what is known as
"error notification." If a voter makes a mistake on her or his
ballot (such as skipping a ranking), the equipment immediately will
notify the voter of their mistake and the voter will have an opportunity
to correct it before casting their final ballot. That feature will help
to decrease the number of errors and spoiled ballots.
What
kind of RCV procedures will be followed on election night?
After the polls are closed, a memory pack containing
vote totals, a PCM card storing all votersí rankings as ballot images,
a printout of vote totals, and the actual ballots themselves are all
delivered to the Department of Elections. All the rankings of each
individual voter are stored as anonymous records that, when compiled
together, form an aggregate dataset about votersí preferences. Once
that data set is complete (including all absentee and provisional
ballots, which can take several days after the election to process),
that data set is loaded into a computer, and when the Director of
Elections gives the word, the tech person presses the ìTally RCV
resultsî button. The ballots will be quickly sorted and counted. A
complete election report containing round-by-round vote totals will be
produced. The actual
counting of the aggregate data set (which is comprised of tens of
thousands of stored ballot images of every individual's ballot) happens
extremely quickly -- for a citywide race, perhaps five minutes, for a
district race only a minute or two.
Both before and after the election, tests known as "logic
and accuracy" tests that conduct a mini-election are conducted to
check the accuracy and security of the equipment and the counting
procedures. In addition,
after the election a manual tally is conducted in 1% of precincts and
compared to the machine count in those precincts to further ensure
accuracy and security. Because
we can hand-tally the paper ballots (the voter verified paper trail) and
create a one-to-one correspondence between each physical paper ballot
and an electronic record of each ranking, the RCV election will have an
unprecedented level of transparency, security and auditability.
Won't
the counting of absentee ballots and provisional ballots slow down
determination of winners?
The Department of Elections plans to release all first
rankings on election night. If a race is not close, then we will know on
election night who is going to win, even if
the results are not officially final. If a race is close, then
determination of the winner will depend on the counting of absentee and
provisional ballots. But this is no different than our previous
elections. How many times on election night have we gone to bed thinking
a particular candidate or ballot measure was winning in a close race,
only to find that after absentee and provisional ballots were counted
the results had changed? RCV
is no different. If the race is close, final determination will depend
on the counting of absentee and provisional ballots. If the race is not
close, we will know who won on election night.
With
ranked choice voting, I have three rankings.
Does that mean I have three votes?
No. Every
voter has one vote. But in
case your favorite candidate doesn't win, you have the option of ranking
TWO runoff choices (this is an advantage over the previous runoff system
-- with RCV, you are allowed TWO runoff choices instead of one). So you
mark your favorite candidate as your first choice, and your two runoff
choices as your second and third rankings.
It is important to understand that your vote does not count for
any of your runoff choices until your favorite candidate has lost. That
means your lower-ranked choices can never defeat your higher-ranked
choices. So there is no advantage to ranking only one candidate
(sometimes known as "bullet voting"). It is best to use all
three of your rankings.
If
I really want my first-choice candidate to win, should I rank the
candidate as my first, second and third choice?
Ranking a candidate more than once does not benefit the
candidate. There is no advantage to bullet voting (see the previous
question). If a voter ranks
one candidate as the voter's first, second and third choice, it is the
same as if the voter leaves the second or third choice blank. If the
candidate is eliminated, it is not possible to cast your vote for a
runoff choice, which is your next-ranked candidate, because no
next-ranking is indicated.
If
I can't decide between two candidates, can I give them the same ranking?
If a voter gives more than one candidate the same ranking
(what is known as a duplicate ranking), thatís an overvote
and those votes cannot be counted.
However, the optical scan voting equipment has ìerror
notificationî built in, so a voter making this mistake in the precinct
will be immediately notified and have a chance to correct their ballot.
Can I write-in candidates and
rank them as my first, second or third choice?
Yes. Make sure that you both write-in the candidateís name and connect
the arrow, state law says you must do BOTH.
Does
ranked choice voting give extra votes to supporters of defeated
candidates?
No. With ranked choice voting, every voter has one vote. If
your favorite candidate canít win, your vote goes to your runoff
candidate, as indicated by your rankings.
Remember, ranked choice voting is a RUNOFF system, also known as
ranked choice voting. In many ways, itís not that different from the
previous December runoff system. It just finishes the election in one
cycle by having voters
indicate their runoff choices at the same time as their first choice.
In the previous December runoff system, the top two finishers in the
November election continued to the December runoff. They were what we
call ìcontinuing candidates.î All
those voters who voted for one of the top two candidates in November
continued to vote for them in the December runoff (in theory, a voter
could change their vote, but that was unlikely since usually the other
candidate came from the political opposition).
And all those voters whose candidates were eliminated in
November, if they chose to participate in the December runoff (many
didn't, voter turnout often dropped in December) they voted for one of
the two continuing candidates.
RCV
works pretty much the same way. If
any candidate wins a majority of first-rankings they win the election,
just as with the previous system. If no candidate has a majority, the
ìinstantî or ìsame-dayî runoff begins. The candidates with the
fewest votes are eliminated, just as with the December runoff. If your
favorite candidate advances to the instant runoff, you continue to vote
for your favorite, your vote stays with your candidate as long as she or
he is still in the race. But
if your favorite is eliminated, you get to support your runoff choice
(one of the continuing candidates), as indicated by your second ranking.
At each step of the ballot counting, every voter has exactly one vote
for either their first choice (if that candidate is still in the race)
or their runoff choice -- just like they had with the December runoff.
Note that, just like with a December runoff, itís only those
voters whose candidate has been eliminated whose vote counts for one of
the continuing candidates as their runoff choice. Voters whose favorite
candidate is still in the race continue to vote for that first-ranked
candidate.
What
happens if I don't rank all three of my rankings?
Not using all of three of your rankings may result in
you not participating in the final runoff. If all of your candidates are
eliminated, your ballot becomes what is known as "exhausted"
and no longer counts towards the final runoff.
So it is best to use all your rankings.
However, if you rank only one candidate and that candidate is one of the
top two finishers, it really wonít have mattered if you ranked a
second or third choice. Your vote will stay with your number one-ranked
candidate until the end. Still, itís best to use all your rankings,
just in case.
Wonít
RCV elect candidates who are ranked second or third on the most ballots?
Some people have speculated that a candidate who is
ranked number two or even three on everyoneís ballots, but does not
have many first-place rankings, will be the one who wins.
This is incorrect. In
order to remain in the runoff, a candidate must have enough first-place
rankings to not get eliminated in the early rounds.
RCV
rewards two qualities: having a strong core of support (as evidenced by
a sufficient number of first-place rankings) but also a broad base of
support (as evidenced by a fair number of second and third place
rankings). If a candidate
has just one of these, she or he will probably lose. If a candidate has
many first-place rankings (but less than a majority), but is not ranked
second and third place on enough ballots, that candidate will lose.
If a candidate is ranked second and third place on many ballots,
but does not have a sufficient number of first-place rankings, that
candidate will be eliminated in the early rounds.
Other
places using ranked ballot elections like London, Ireland and Cambridge,
MA allow their voters unlimited rankings. Why do we only have three
rankings in
San
Francisco
?
The
San Francisco
charter requires unlimited rankings, with one important exception: if
there are technical limitations as a result of the specific voting
equipment being used. Due
to technical limitations,
San Francisco
's voting equipment, the Optech Eagle, only
allows three rankings. If
San Francisco
ever acquires voting equipment that has the technical capacity to allow
more than three rankings, or
San Francisco
ever elects to do a hand count, by law the Department of Elections must
increase the number of rankings.
Does
RCV save money?
Yes.
RCV eliminates the cost of runoff elections since it determines a
majority winner in a single election. In
San Francisco
, a citywide runoff
election costs taxpayers $3 million.
I
have heard that with Ranked Choice Voting it is possible for a winning
candidate to win with fewer than a majority
of votes. Is this true?
According
to the
San Francisco
charter, the
ìwinnerî in ranked choice voting is defined as the one who wins a
majority of what is called "continuing ballots."
Continuing ballots are those where all the rankings have not
exhausted, where the voter is still participating in the runoff. If a
voter uses all of his or her three rankings on candidates who don't have
a chance of winning, that ballot will ëexhaustí and not be a
'continuing' ballot. So it's possible that the winner may end up with a
majority that is less than the majority of all voters who initially
voted, but it is still a majority of continuing ballots.
This
is analogous to a situation where some voters donít return to vote for
the December runoff. But considering the fact that voter turnout usually
decreased between the November election and the December runoff -- often
by anywhere from 30 to 50% -- more voters likely will participate in the
final decisive runoff under ranked choice voting than under the previous
December runoff system.
Here's a mock election that will illustrate "continuing
ballots" and "exhausted ballots."
Candidates
|
1st
round
|
A
|
32
|
B
|
24
|
C
|
20
|
D
|
15
|
E
|
9
|
Total
|
100
|
Candidate E is in last place and does not make the initial runoff.
Let's say of E's nine votes, 5 go to C and 4 got to A.
Now the vote totals stand:
Candidates
|
1st
round
|
2nd
|
A
|
32
|
(+4)=36
|
B
|
24
|
24
|
C
|
20
|
(+5)=25
|
D
|
15
|
15
|
E
|
9
|
(-9)
out
|
Total
|
100
|
100
|
Now
D is in last place and is eliminated from the runoff.
Let's say of 15 D voters, 5 ranked A as their next choice, 5
ranked B, and 5 ranked E. But
E has been eliminated, so of these 5 voters, let's say their next
(third)-ranked candidate is: 3 rank B and 2
rank A. Now the vote totals stand:
Candidates
|
1st
round
|
2nd
|
3rd
|
A
|
32
|
(+4)=36
|
(+5+2)=43
|
B
|
24
|
24
|
(+5+3)=32
|
C
|
20
|
(+5)=25
|
25
|
D
|
15
|
15
|
(-15)
out
|
E
|
9
|
(-9)
out
|
Out
|
Total
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
We're
down to three candidates, so one of the candidates is about to win, when
the current last place candidate, Candidate C, is eliminated. But here's
where the 'continuing candidate' factor comes in.
Candidate
C is in last place and is eliminated from the runoff.
Of the 25 voters who were voting for C, let's say 5 rank A as
their next choice, 10 rank B, and 10 rank Candidate D as their next
choice. But Candidate D has been eliminated from the runoff, so for
those ballots it goes to each voterís next ranked candidate. Let's say
of these 10, 7 ranked Candidate E as their next (third) choice, and
three ranked Candidate B. But Candidate E also has been eliminated from
the runoff. Since that is those voters third ranking, they have no more
runoff choices to give their vote to and so those seven votes go into
what is called an ìexhausted pile.î They are ballots that do not
ëcontinue,í and the voters of these ballots do not participate in
the final runoff.
That
means that the winner is candidate A with 48 votes -- slightly less than
a majority of the original 100 ballots, but 51.6% of the 93 continuing
ballots, with 7 ballots exhausted.
This
is analogous to those 7 voters not returning for the December runoff,
which of course in most December runoffs happened in large numbers.
But with RCV, the drop-off -- as indicated by the number of
ëcontinuing ballotsí -- will be much less than with December
runoffs.
Here
are the final vote totals:
Candidates
|
1st
round
|
2nd
|
3rd
|
4th
|
A
|
32
|
(+4)=36
|
(+5+2)=43
|
(+5)=48
|
B
|
24
|
24
|
(+5+3)=32
|
(+10+3)=45
|
C
|
20
|
(+5)=25
|
25
|
(-25)
out
|
D
|
15
|
15
|
(-15)
out
|
out
|
E
|
9
|
(-9)
out
|
out
|
out
|
Total
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
93+7
exhausted=100
|
Compiled
by
Steven Hill
, (415) 665-5044, [email protected].
|