Instant Runoff Voting
Presented By:
Deborah Markowitz
Vermont Secretary of State
An election reform that
is starting to catch on.
Instant Runoff Voting...
• Was endorsed by 53 Vermont towns through non-binding
resolutions
• Was recently adopted for Municipal Elections by voters in
San Francisco
• Has passed charter amendments in other municipalities
• Is being considered for statewide use in an August
referendum in Alaska
• Has been introduced as bills in over a dozen state
legislatures
Plurality Elections
Whichever candidate gets the most votes wins.
Most U.S. elections use plurality rules.
Advantages
• No runoff is ever needed
Problems
• The majority choice is often not elected
Plurality Rules
But majority
prefer A over B
Winner
Winner
Second Election Runoffs
If no candidate receives a majority, all candidates
but the top two are eliminated.
A second election
is conducted between the finalists.
Advantages
• Assures a majority winner
Problems
• Added taxpayer expense for second election
• Added candidate expense for secondary campaigning
• Very low voter turnout for runoff
• Difficult to administer
• Potential compromise candidate could be eliminated
What Is Instant Runoff
Voting?
• Method of voting that requires a majority to
elect a candidate
• Determines a majority winner by conducting
instant runoffs using voter preferences until one
candidate has a majority
• Cheaper and more efficient than second
elections
Instant Runoff Voting
Voters specify their order of preference for
candidates.
Ballots are tallied through a series of instant
runoffs until the majority winner is
determined.
•
•
•
•
Assures majority rule - a true mandate from the voters
Voters go to the polls only once
Less expensive than a second election runoff
Eliminates the spoiler problem
How IRV Works
Declare a
winner
Voters Vote Their
Preferences
Yes
Tally All Ballots
Is there a
majority
winner?
No
Retally
Ballots
No
majority
Eliminate lowest
candidate
IRV - Typical Ballot
The voter is presented with a list of all candidates
and given the option of specifying his or her order
of preference for candidates.
The voter may choose to give just a first
preference.
Ballot for Office
IRV- Proposed
Vermont Ballot
This ballot has been
tentatively approved by
my elections office for
use if Vermont passes its
pending IRV bill.
IRV From Two
Perspectives
States that already
use runoff elections
Instant runoff voting can
determine a majority
winner in a single
election, which:
• saves money
• eliminates hassle
• maximizes voter turnout
• allows for the possibility
of a compromise candidate
States that use
plurality elections
Instant runoff voting:
• restores majority rule
• eliminates the spoiler
problem
• may reduce mud-slinging
campaigns
IRV Concerns
• Too complicated for voters
Reality: IRV makes sense with voter education
• Creates headaches for election administration
Reality: No burden on local election officials
• Voting equipment cannot handle the ballots
Reality: Modern equipment can handle it
NOTE: It is important to assure your state’s new equipment has
this flexibility, in order to protect the capital investment.
Instant Runoff Voting
For more information contact:
Vermont Secretary of State
www.sec.state.vt.us
(802) 828-2363
Center for Voting and Democracy
www.fairvote.org