Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) Explanation
No voting system is perfect, but IRV is generally considered the best method for measuring both the breadth and intensity of the voter's support for a candidate.
What is instant runoff voting?
Instant Runoff Voting is a system that guarantees the winning candidate has a majority of the votes (instead of a plurality) and eliminates the "wasted vote syndrome" caused by third party candidates. It allows voters to rank the candidates by preference on a single ballot (first, second, third choice, etc.), so it can simulate an "instant" runoff election if no candidate has a majority of the votes.
What's the difference between a "plurality" and a "majority"?
A "plurality" means the candidate with the most votes wins, as in most of our elections. Most people think of this as the epitome of democracy and it is when there are only two candidates. When there are three or more candidates for one office, the plurality winner may actually get a "minority" of the votes, that is, less than 50%. A majority winner gets more than 50% of the votes and this is what IRV guarantees.
How does it work?
If anyone receives a majority of the first choice votes, that candidate is elected. If not, the last place candidate is defeated, just as in a runoff election, and all ballots are counted again. This time each ballot cast for the defeated candidate counts for the next choice candidate listed on the ballot. The process of eliminating the last place candidate and recounting the ballots continues until one candidate receives a majority of the vote.
For more information or if you have questions please visit www.instantrunoff.com or
contact Archita Taylor, EAC Chair, at asuwvote@u.washington.edu.