Legal Definitions - IRV

IRV stands for Instant-Runoff Voting. This is an electoral system where voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than choosing just one. For example, a voter might mark their first, second, and third choices. If no candidate receives an absolute majority (more than 50%) of the first-preference votes in the initial count, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated. The votes cast for the eliminated candidate are then reallocated to the voters' next preferred candidate. This process continues through multiple "rounds" of elimination and redistribution until one candidate achieves an absolute majority of the remaining active votes and is declared the winner. The goal of Instant-Runoff Voting is to ensure the winning candidate has broad support and to avoid situations where a candidate wins with only a minority of the vote due to multiple similar candidates splitting the vote.

• Example 1: City Mayoral Election

  Imagine a city is holding an election for mayor with four candidates: Ms. Albright, Mr. Benson, Dr. Chen, and Ms. Davis. Voters rank them 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. In the initial count of first-preference votes, no candidate receives over 50%. Ms. Davis has the fewest first-preference votes, so she is eliminated. Her voters' ballots are then re-examined, and their second-preference choices are now counted as their first preferences. This process continues, eliminating the candidate with the fewest votes in each round and redistributing their votes, until either Ms. Albright, Mr. Benson, or Dr. Chen secures more than 50% of the active votes and wins the election.

  This example illustrates IRV by showing the multi-round elimination and reallocation process. Voters' preferences beyond their initial top choice become crucial as candidates are eliminated, ultimately leading to a winner with majority support.

• Example 2: University Student Council President Election

  Students at a university are electing their Student Council President. There are three candidates: Emily, Frank, and Grace. Students cast their ballots, ranking the candidates. After the first count, Emily has 40% of the first-preference votes, Frank has 35%, and Grace has 25%. Since no one has over 50%, Grace, with the fewest votes, is eliminated. The ballots of students who ranked Grace as their first choice are then transferred to their second-choice candidate (either Emily or Frank). If a significant portion of Grace's voters had Frank as their second choice, Frank might then accumulate enough votes to surpass Emily and achieve over 50% of the total votes, becoming the president.

  This scenario demonstrates how IRV allows a candidate who didn't win the initial plurality (Frank, in this case) to ultimately win by gaining the support of voters whose initial top choice was eliminated. It ensures the winner has a true majority of the electorate's support.

• Example 3: Professional Association Board Member Selection

  A national professional association is electing a new member to its board of directors from a pool of five candidates. Members rank their choices from one to five. After the initial tally of first-preference votes, no single candidate achieves a majority. The candidate with the lowest number of first-preference votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed based on the voters' second preferences. This continues through several rounds. Eventually, a candidate who might have started with only 20% of the first-preference votes, but was consistently ranked as a second or third choice by a broad segment of the membership, accumulates over 50% of the active votes and wins the board seat.

  This example highlights how IRV can elect a "consensus" candidate. Even if a candidate isn't the absolute top choice for the largest group, their broad appeal as a strong second or third choice can lead them to victory, ensuring the elected board member is acceptable to a majority of the association's members.