Ranked choice voting in practice, with its tradeoffs and mitigations
A voter at the top marks the ballot and feeds into the engine, a container labeled "Single-winner voting method: Ranked choice voting (IRV)" holding the ballot above the counting algorithm. The ballot ranks each candidate from most to least preferred, capturing order, not strength; the counting algorithm is the instant-runoff procedure shown in a separate IRV flowchart: first choices are counted, and if no one has more than half, the last-place candidate is dropped and those ballots move to their next choice, repeating until someone passes half. Below the engine, a box names the single winner: holds more than half of the ballots still in the count, not always more than half of all ballots cast. To the right, a Tradeoffs box lists one positive (no vote-splitting among similar candidates in early rounds) and negatives (support can backfire through monotonicity failure, center squeeze eliminates broadly-liked middle candidates, ballot exhaustion discards ballots mid-count, and sequential counting can't be summed precinct by precinct). Below it, a Mitigations box lists allowing more rankings, requiring full rankings, batch elimination, and centralized tabulation, noting none remove center squeeze, monotonicity failure, or the need for centralized counting.
Voter
Marks the ballot
Single-winner voting method
Ranked choice voting (IRV)
Ballot
Each candidate ranked from
most to least preferred.
Captures order, not strength.
Counting algorithm
See Instant Runoff Voting
(IRV) flowchart.
Single winner
Holds more than half of the
ballots still in the count.
Tradeoffs
+ No vote-splitting among
similar candidates early
− Support can backfire
(monotonicity failure)
− Squeezes out broadly-liked
middle candidates
− Ballots discarded mid-count
(ballot exhaustion)
− Counting is sequential —
can't be summed by precinct
Mitigations
• Allow more rankings
(reduces exhaustion)
• Require full rankings
(not voter-friendly)
• Batch elimination
• Centralized tabulation
None remove center squeeze,
monotonicity failure, or the
need for centralized counting.