Rank the Vote

Rank the Vote refers to a movement and a general concept advocating for the adoption of electoral systems where voters rank candidates in order of preference, rather than choosing a single candidate. The most prominent system associated with "Rank the Vote" is Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV), which includes Instant-Runoff Voting (IRV) for single-winner elections and the Single Transferable Vote (STV) for multi-winner elections.

Overview

Traditional "plurality" or "first-past-the-post" voting systems allow voters to select only one candidate, and the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they don't achieve a majority. "Rank the Vote" initiatives aim to replace these systems with preferential voting methods, arguing that they lead to more representative outcomes, reduce political polarization, and mitigate the "spoiler effect" where a third-party candidate can draw votes away from a major candidate, inadvertently helping a less preferred option win.

How Ranked-Choice Voting Works

In an RCV election, voters rank candidates in order of preference (e.g., 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, and so on). The tabulation process typically proceeds in rounds:

First Round: All first-choice votes are counted.
Majority Check: If any candidate receives more than 50% of the first-choice votes, that candidate is declared the winner.
Elimination and Reallocation (if no majority): If no candidate achieves a majority, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated. The votes cast for the eliminated candidate are then reallocated to the voters' next highest-ranked continuing choice.
Subsequent Rounds: This process of elimination and reallocation continues in rounds until one candidate secures a majority of the remaining active votes.

For multi-winner elections using STV, a quota is established, and candidates are elected if they meet that quota. Surplus votes from elected candidates and votes from eliminated candidates are reallocated until all seats are filled.

Key Concepts and Terminology

Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV): An umbrella term for preferential voting systems where voters rank candidates.
Instant-Runoff Voting (IRV): A specific type of RCV used for single-winner elections, designed to simulate a series of runoffs until a majority winner emerges, without requiring multiple trips to the polls.
Single Transferable Vote (STV): A specific type of RCV used for multi-winner elections (e.g., for city councils, legislative bodies), aimed at achieving proportional representation.
Spoiler Effect: The phenomenon where a third-party or minor candidate draws votes away from a major candidate with similar ideological alignment, potentially leading to the election of a candidate who is less preferred by a majority of voters.
Majority Rule: The principle that the winning candidate should be supported by more than half of the voters.

Arguments for "Rank the Vote"

Proponents of "Rank the Vote" systems highlight several advantages:

Elects Majority Winners: Ensures that the winning candidate has demonstrated broader appeal and a majority of voter support, rather than just a plurality.
Reduces Polarization: Encourages candidates to appeal to a wider range of voters, including those who might rank them as a second or third choice, promoting more civil campaigns and reducing negative campaigning.
Eliminates the Spoiler Effect: Voters can support their most preferred candidate without fear of "wasting their vote" or inadvertently helping a less preferred candidate win.
Increases Voter Choice: Voters are empowered to express a more nuanced preference for candidates.
Saves Money: Eliminates the need for costly separate runoff elections.
Promotes Diversity: Can lead to a more diverse set of elected officials by giving a voice to minority groups or alternative viewpoints that might struggle in plurality systems.

Criticisms and Challenges

Despite its growing popularity, "Rank the Vote" systems face some criticisms:

Complexity: Some voters find ranking candidates more complex than simply choosing one, potentially leading to lower participation or errors in ballot marking.
Non-Monotonicity: In rare theoretical scenarios, ranking a candidate higher could paradoxically hurt their chances of winning (though this is extremely uncommon in practice).
Results Interpretation: The multi-round tabulation process can sometimes lead to results that are less intuitive for some voters to understand compared to a simple plurality count.
Vote Exhaustion: If a voter only ranks a few candidates and all of them are eliminated, their ballot might become "exhausted" and not contribute to the final winner, though this typically affects a small percentage of votes.

Adoption and Movement

The "Rank the Vote" movement is active globally, with significant advocacy in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

United States: Ranked-choice voting is used in federal elections in Maine and Alaska, and in numerous cities across the country, including New York City, San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Santa Fe. It has also been adopted for party primaries in several states.
Australia: Has a long history of using preferential voting, with IRV used for federal elections in the House of Representatives and STV for the Senate.
Ireland: Uses STV for Dáil Éireann (its lower house of parliament) and local elections.
Other Countries: Variations of preferential voting are also used in places like Malta, New Zealand (for some local elections), and Scotland (for local government elections).

The "Rank the Vote" movement often works to educate the public about the benefits of RCV and advocates for legislative changes to adopt these systems at local, state, and national levels.

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