Frequently Asked
Questions about Ranked Choice Voting (RCV)
(also known as Instant Runoff Voting or IRV)
![](../_themes/cvd/divider.gif)
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.
How
does RCV work?
RCV,
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 interactive mini-movie of how RCV will work in San Francisco,
including what the voter must do and how ballots are counted, on the web at www.fairvote.org/sfvotes/vote/index.html
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. Ranked choice
voting 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 ranked choice voting 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 ���optical scan��� 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 voters��� 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 voters��� 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 ���Tally RCV results��� 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), that���s an overvote and those votes cannot be
counted. However, the optical scan
voting equipment has ���error notification��� 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 candidate���s 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 can���t 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, it���s 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 ���continuing candidates.��� 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
���instant��� or ���same-day��� 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, it���s 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 won���t have mattered if you ranked a second or third
choice. Your vote will stay with your number one-ranked candidate until the end.
Still, it���s best to use all your rankings, just in case.
Won���t 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 everyone���s 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
���winner��� 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 ���exhaust��� 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 don���t 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 voter���s 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 ���exhausted pile.��� They are ballots that do not
���continue,��� 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 ���continuing ballots���
-- 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, Center for Voting and Democracy, (415) 665-5044, [email protected].
|