Legal Definitions - instant-runoff voting

Instant-Runoff Voting is an electoral system where voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than choosing only one. Also known as ranked-choice voting, this method aims to ensure that the winning candidate has the support of a majority of voters, even in elections with multiple candidates.

Here's how it generally works:

• Voters mark their ballots by ranking candidates (e.g., 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, and so on).
• In the first round, only the first-choice votes are counted.
• If a candidate receives more than 50% of the first-choice votes, they win immediately.
• If no candidate reaches a majority, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated.
• The votes from the eliminated candidate are then redistributed to the voters' second-choice candidates.
• This process of eliminating the lowest-ranked candidate and redistributing their votes continues until one candidate achieves a majority of the remaining votes.

This system is designed to prevent a candidate from winning with only a plurality (less than 50%) of the vote when there are multiple candidates, and to reduce the impact of "spoiler" candidates who might draw votes away from more broadly preferred contenders.

Examples:

• City Council Election: Imagine a city is holding an election for a single city council seat, and there are four candidates: Ms. Rodriguez, Mr. Chen, Dr. Patel, and Ms. Davies. Under instant-runoff voting, citizens would rank these candidates on their ballot from their most preferred (1st choice) to least preferred. If, after counting all first-choice votes, no candidate has over 50% of the vote (e.g., Ms. Rodriguez gets 35%, Mr. Chen 30%, Dr. Patel 20%, and Ms. Davies 15%), Ms. Davies, having the fewest first-choice votes, would be eliminated. The ballots that listed Ms. Davies as the first choice would then have their votes transferred to the candidate ranked second on those specific ballots. This process would repeat, eliminating the lowest-ranked candidate and reallocating votes, until one candidate achieves a majority. This illustrates how the system ensures the eventual winner has broad support from over half of the voters, even if they weren't everyone's initial top pick.

• University Student Body President: A large university uses instant-runoff voting to elect its student body president. There are five candidates vying for the position. Students cast their votes by ranking all five candidates in order of preference. In the initial count, no candidate secures a majority of first-place votes. For instance, Candidate A gets 28%, B gets 25%, C gets 20%, D gets 15%, and E gets 12%. Candidate E, with the fewest first-place votes, is eliminated. The votes from students who chose E as their first preference are then transferred to their second-choice candidate. If, after this reallocation, still no candidate has a majority, the next lowest-ranked candidate (say, Candidate D) is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed based on the voters' next preferences. This continues until one candidate crosses the 50% threshold. This example demonstrates how the system can handle a larger field of candidates and progressively narrow down the choices until a majority-supported winner emerges.