11.8.3: Ranked Choice Voting

Reforming Primaries

Ranked-choice voting (often called instant runoff elections) is touted as one way to reduce polarization. In a general election, voters are asked to rank their top five preferences in a single election. The election has been decided if a candidate wins more than 50%. If less than 50%, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is dropped, and their votes are then reassigned to the voters’ next highest preference until the candidate with more than 50% of the vote is determined. Proponents argue that such an electoral system motivates candidates to head to the center of the spectrum to be more likable to the largest number of voters.

Several states and local governments across the US have adopted ranked-choice voting in one form or another. New York City used this process for the mayoral race, the states of Maine and Alaska use it for some of their elections, and, in California, several cities, including Oakland and San Francisco, have adopted the system (“Data on Ranked Choice Voting.”).

Considering these three reforms—district elections, consolidated elections, and ranked-choice voting—a few conclusions are in order. First, although electoral practices vary among local governments, the trend across the state is to promote more descriptive representation and more voter turnout. In a time of increased concern for civil rights and equal opportunity, local governments are giving greater consideration to their election laws. Notwithstanding these concerns, local governments also like to guard their relative autonomy, and not all embrace change so quickly. The attraction of maintaining past practices causes change to occur not as soon as reform-oriented people would prefer.

For Your Consideration

Consider the reforms discussed in this chapter. Do you prefer that cities be divided into electoral districts or to have at-large elections? Is it better that citizens draw electoral districts, or should they be drawn by local governments? And would you prefer ranked-choice voting?