Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) allows voters to rank candidates by preference on their ballots. It ensures winners receive majority support in single-winner elections and all groups of voters achieve fair representation in multi-winner elections. RCV has been adopted in several US cities and other countries and consolidates runoff elections into a single round to increase voter participation and make campaigns more positive.

2. What is Ranked Choice
Voting?
√ Ranked Choice Voting (or Instant Runoff Voting)
allows voters to RANK candidates on their ballot
according to their 1st, 2nd, 3rd CHOICE, etc.
√ In single-seat races, it ensures a winner is chosen by
majority vote.
√ In multi-seat races, it ensures all groups of voters win
their fair share of representation.
√ The concept is simple.

3. What went wrong in the
MN ‘08 Senate election?
√One of the most negative in Minnesota history
√Most expensive in Minnesota history
√Whoever wins, the majority of voters will be left
dissatisfied

4. Several ‘08 races were decided
by a minority of voters
Winning %
√ CD 3: Erik Paulsen 48.5%
√ CD 6: Michele Bachman 46.4%
√ Senate District 16: Lisa Fobbe 48.3%
√ House District 41A: Keith Downey 36.7%
√ House District 51A: Tim Sanders 47.8%

5. Are plurality outcomes becoming the
norm in MN elections?
√ 14 statewide races since 1998 when Jesse Ventura won
with just 37% of the vote
√ 16 Minnesota legislative races since 2006
√ The last governor elected by a majority was Arne
Carlson (50% in 1990 & 63% in 1994)

6. What are the benefits of
RCV?
2. It ensures candidates win with a majority of
support in single-winner elections.
3. It’s simple. Voters get it.
4. It’s efficient.
5. It’s constitutional.
6. It’s proven locally and globally.
7. There are no wasted votes or “spoilers”.
8. It promotes greater voter participation.
9. Campaigns become more positive.
10. Taxpayers pay for only one election, voters make
only one trip to the polls.

7. Do voters understand RCV?
Yes. Exit polls show voters understood RCV well or
very well in their first state election.

8. Is the Ballot simple to fill out?
Yes.
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING BALLOT
PRESIDENT OF IRELAND
Fill in only one oval per choice Your 2ND and 3RD choices will be used if your 1st
choice loses
VOTE for your MARK MARK
1st choice here
1 st your 2nd
choice
2nd your 3rd
choice
3rd
Austin Currie
Brian Lenihan
Mary Robinson

9. How does RCV produce
majority
winners in a single election?
November December
General Runoff
Traditional Runoff
(In a state partisan
election)
Instant Runoff
√ One-step, convenient
√ Saves money
√ Increases voter participation
√ Accomplishes in one election what
traditional runoffs accomplish in two

10. How does RCV produce
majority
winners in a local elections?
September November
Primary General Election
Traditional Runoff
(In a local nonpartisan
election)
Instant Runoff
√ One-step, convenient
√ Saves money
√ Increases voter participation
√ Accomplishes in one election what
traditional runoffs accomplish in two

11. Who’s using RCV?
CURRENT
U.S. CITIES USING U.S. CITIES U.S. STATE
PENDING LEGISLATION
RCV
IMPLEMENTATION Arizona
Cambridge, MA Arkansas
San Francisco, CA Berkeley, CA
Davis, CA California
Burlington, VT Colorado
Takoma Park, MD Oakland, CA Louisiana
Cary, NC Santa Clara, CA Minnesota
Hendersonville, NC North Carolina
Pierce County, WA San Leandro, CA
Sarasota, FL South Carolina
Aspen, CO Vermont
Ferndale, MI
U.S. CITIES WITH Two Harbors, MN OTHER
CURRENT Minneapolis, MN DEMOCRACIES
CAMPAIGNS Santa Fe, NM Australia
Saint Paul, MN Memphis, TN New Zealand
Cincinnati, OH Vancouver, WA Ireland
Los Angeles, CA Northern Ireland
NC pilot cities
London
Scotland

12. How does RCV work?
1. If a candidate receives a majority of first choice votes, that
candidate wins.
3. If not, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and
votes cast
for this candidate are redistributed to remaining candidates
according to the second choice on each of those voters’ ballots.
3. All the ballots are counted again and if a candidate receives a
majority, that candidate wins. If not, the process is repeated
until one candidate has a majority of votes.

13. How does RCV work?

14. How does RCV work
in multi-seat elections?
Ranked Choice Voting works equally well
when there are multiple seats to fill. Candidates win by
obtaining a certain “threshold”, depending on the number of
seats to fill. If a voter’s first choice has enough votes to be
elected, or is eliminated as a result of having too few votes,
then the voter’s second choice is counted and potentially the
voters’ third choice and so on, until all the seats are filled.

15. Will my vote be wasted?
No.
Your vote counts exclusively for your first choice as long as that
candidate has any chance of winning.
Your second, third choice, etc., are your back-up runoff
choices.
Your ballot only counts for your second choice if your first
choice does not make it into the runoff.

16. Will RCV
promote voter participation?
Yes.
Ranked choice voting consolidates two rounds of elections into
one thereby ENSURING THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE ON
THE BALLOT IN THE GENERAL ELECTION WHEN VOTER
TURNOUT IS HIGHEST and maximizing voter participation in
the selection of the winner.

17. Is RCV
constitutional?
Yes.
It upholds “One Person, One Vote”.
Upheld in Minnesota Supreme Court.
No one gets to vote twice, it merely allows voters to rank their
preferred candidates.
A constitutional amendment is not needed to allow for
Ranked Choice Voting.

18. Does RCV have
multi-partisan support?
President Obama Senator McCain
Margaret Anderson Dave Durenberger, Tim Penny, Cam Gordon,
Kelliher, Speaker Former US Former US Minneapolis
of the MN House Senator Congressman Council Member

19. Some people say…
“The current system has worked
well for over 200 years —
so why change?”

20. Some people said…
…that this system worked.

21. Some people said…
…that this system worked.

22. Is RCV the next step in
modernizing our voting system?
1789 2007
NO YES
Secret Vote?
Women Vote? NO YES (1920)
Non-Prop. Owners? NO YES
(1800’S)
Minorities Vote? NO
Instant Runoff Voting ? YES (1965)
NO
YES

23. What are people saying
about RCV?
Nick Coleman, Star Tribune
“Instant Runoff Voting is a nonpartisan, fair and sanity—
restoring way of avoiding the train wreck we are in now,
because it lets voters rank their candidates according to
their preference.”
“That means you don’t have to hold your nose and try to
choose the lesser of two evils.”

24. What are people saying
about RCV?
Sally Pillsbury, community activist
“As a lifelong activist and voter, I like Instant Runoff
Voting because it gives voters like myself a first and
second choice. It means that more good candidates can
run, but in the end, the winner is the choice of the
majority of voters."

25. What are people saying
about RCV?
Brian Melendez, chair, Minnesota DFL Party
“Instant Runoff Voting is a way to guarantee that
whoever gets elected has the support of a majority, an
absolute majority, of the voter….It allows the electorate
to express their preferences the most clearly and it
assures that the candidate who is elected has the
broadest possible support.”

26. What are people saying
about RCV?
Tim Penny, former U.S. Congressman from Minnesota
“With IRV, no vote is wasted.”

27. What are people saying
about RCV?
Elizabeth Glidden, Minneapolis City Council member
“Municipal primary turnout is dismal, and this is where
critical decisions are made. We must have greater voter
participation in our elections.”

28. What are people saying
about RCV?
Dave Durenberger, Former U.S. Senator
“IRV allows voters to vote their hopes instead of their
fears by ranking candidates in order of preference
without worrying about spoiler dynamics or wasted
votes. It encourages sincere voting and reduces the
need for tactical voting — something that is an issue in
many elections.”

29. What are people saying
about RCV?
Jeanne Massey, Executive Director, FairVote Minnesota
“Ranked choice voting gives power to the voters. It
opens the political process to more voices, empowers
voters with more choices, makes campaigns more
substantive and ensures voters are more accurately
represented.”

30. What are people saying
about RCV?
Ralph Remington, Minneapolis City Council member
“Instant Runoff Voting is the purest form of democracy
and truly makes every vote count and gives everyone a
voice.”

31. RCV in the news
Ranked Choice Voting Saves Time, Money
Duluth News Tribune, March 21, 2009
State’ s High Court to Expedite Appeal on Instant Runoff Voting
Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 18, 2009
Jay Benanav and Jane Prince; IRV Belongs on Ballot This
Fall in St. Paul
Pioneer Press, March 12, 2009
My Turn: City Voters Fortunate to Have IRV
Burlington Free Press, March 2, 2009
David Durenberger and David Schultz: Instant Runoff Voting Would Make
Every Vote Count
Duluth News Tribune, April 5, 2009

32. RCV in the news
Burlington Politics More Civil These Days
WCAX News, March 1, 2009
Judge Upholds Instant Runoff Voting in Minneapolis
Minnesota Public Radio, January 14, 2009
Minneapolis Moves Forward on IRVing
MinnPost, February 6, 2009
John Hottinger & Carl Cummins: Runoff Elections? Yes, Please
—
But Please Make Them Instant
Star Tribune, January 13, 2009
Nick Coleman: Elections With Less Acrimony? That’ s the True
Beauty of IRV
Star Tribune, November 24, 2008