Single-winner instant-runoff voting with ballot exhaustion
A flowchart of the instant-runoff count. Starting from Start, the count tallies each ballot's top remaining pick. A diamond asks whether a candidate holds a majority of active ballots: if yes, the path runs down the right side to the Winner. If no, the last-place candidate (fewest votes this round) is eliminated and their ballots move to each voter's next choice. A second diamond asks whether a ballot has a next choice left: if no, the ballot is set aside as exhausted, no longer active, which shrinks the pile; if yes, it stays active. Either way the round completes, and the count returns to the top to recount first choices among the remaining candidates. The loop repeats until a candidate holds a majority.
Start
Count first-choice votes
Each ballot's top remaining pick
Majority of
active ballots?
Yes
No
Eliminate last-place candidate
Fewest votes this round
Move ballots to next choice
Reassign each transferred ballot
Next choice
left on ballot?
No
Set aside as exhausted
No longer active, shrinks the pile
Round complete
Yes
Recount
Winner