In ranked-choice voting (RCV), you rank candidates in order of preference instead of picking one. If a candidate gets more than half of the first-choice votes, they win. If not, the last-place candidate is eliminated and their voters’ ballots move to each voter’s next choice, and the count repeats until someone has a majority of the ballots still in play. It’s also called instant-runoff voting, because it produces a runoff result without a second election.
How do you fill out a ranked-choice ballot? #
The ballot is a grid. Candidates are listed down the side and rankings (1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice…) run across the top.
- Fill in one oval in the 1st choice column for your favorite.
- If you want, fill in one oval in the 2nd choice column for your backup, and so on.
- Give each candidate only one ranking, and put only one candidate in each column.
You don’t have to rank everyone. Ranking only one candidate is allowed; it just means your ballot stops counting if that candidate is eliminated. Ranking the same candidate more than once doesn’t help them.
How are ranked-choice votes counted? #
- Count first choices. If someone has more than 50%, they win.
- Eliminate the last-place candidate.
- Transfer those ballots to each voter’s next-ranked candidate who’s still in the race.
- Recount. If someone now has a majority of the ballots still in play, they win.
- Repeat until someone does.
Ballots that have no remaining ranked candidates are exhausted: they counted in earlier rounds but don’t count toward the final majority.
A worked example #
A city of 10,000 voters has four mayoral candidates. To win in round one, someone needs 5,001 first-choice votes.
Round 1 #
| Candidate | First choices | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Adams | 3,500 | 35% |
| Brooks | 3,000 | 30% |
| Chen | 2,500 | 25% |
| Diaz | 1,000 | 10% |
No majority. Under plurality rules Adams would already have won with 35%. Here, Diaz is eliminated.
Round 2 #
Diaz’s 1,000 ballots move to their next choices: 600 to Chen, 300 to Brooks, and 100 ranked no one else (exhausted).
| Candidate | Votes | Share of 9,900 active ballots |
|---|---|---|
| Adams | 3,500 | 35.4% |
| Brooks | 3,300 | 33.3% |
| Chen | 3,100 | 31.3% |
A majority of 9,900 is 4,951. Still no winner, so Chen is eliminated.
Round 3 #
Chen’s 3,100 ballots include 2,500 original Chen voters and 600 who came from Diaz. Of those, 2,500 rank Brooks next, 100 rank Adams next, and 500 have no remaining choices.
| Candidate | Votes | Share of 9,400 active ballots |
|---|---|---|
| Brooks | 5,800 | 61.7% |
| Adams | 3,600 | 38.3% |
Brooks wins. Adams led the first round, but most voters who backed Chen and Diaz preferred Brooks to Adams.
Where is ranked-choice voting used? #
| Where | How it’s used |
|---|---|
| Maine | State primaries and federal general elections since 2018, including presidential elections since 2020 |
| Alaska | Top-four primary plus RCV general election since 2022; a 2024 repeal failed by 737 votes, and another repeal is on the November 3, 2026 ballot |
| Washington, D.C. | Adopted by voters through Initiative 83 in 2024, in use from 2026 |
| Hawaii | Special federal elections and some other specials |
| New York City | Primary elections since 2021 |
| Cities | Roughly 50 US cities, including San Francisco, Oakland, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City |
| Overseas voters | Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina send ranked ballots to military and overseas voters so their votes count in a possible runoff |
The trend has moved both ways. At least 18 states have banned RCV since 2022, including Florida, Tennessee, Idaho, Montana, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri and Indiana. Several of those bans exempt the overseas-ballot runoff use.
What are the pros and cons of ranked-choice voting? #
Arguments for it:
- Less spoiler effect. You can rank a long-shot candidate first without worrying that it helps the candidate you like least.
- Majority winners. The winner has a majority of the ballots still counting in the last round.
- No separate runoff. It replaces a second election, which saves money and avoids low runoff turnout.
- Broader campaigning. Candidates have reason to court their rivals’ supporters for second-choice rankings.
Arguments against it:
- More complex ballots. Errors like ranking two candidates in the same column can void part of a ballot, and critics argue confusion falls unevenly across voters.
- Slower results. The elimination rounds can’t be finished until all ballots, including late mail and overseas ballots, are in, so close races can take a week or more to resolve.
- Exhausted ballots. Voters who rank only one or two candidates may have no say in the final round.
- Transparency. Some say a count that transfers votes across rounds is harder for the public to follow and audit than a single tally.
Does ranked-choice voting favor one party? #
No consistent pattern has emerged. Results depend on the candidates and the electorate. In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola won the 2022 special and general House elections under RCV, Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy won re-election the same year, and Republican Nick Begich defeated Peltola in 2024. Party positions on RCV have still diverged, with bans passed mostly by Republican-led legislatures and adoptions coming mostly through ballot measures and city charters.
How pollsters handle ranked-choice races #
A standard poll asks for one choice, which isn’t enough in an RCV race. Good pollsters ask for full rankings and simulate the elimination rounds, reporting both first-choice support and a final-round result. When you read a poll of an RCV race, check whether it did that. A candidate leading on first choices can lose, as the example shows. Our explainer on plurality vs. majority covers how the counting rules change what a poll lead means.
Election Tracker, our free iPhone app, shows polls for Senate and governor races, including Maine’s and Alaska’s, as pollsters publish them, with a 30-day average and each poll’s sample and dates. It reports first-choice numbers as published and doesn’t simulate ranked-choice rounds, so for RCV races, read the pollster’s own final-round figures too.
Frequently asked questions #
Do I have to rank every candidate? #
No. You can rank as many or as few as you like. If all the candidates you ranked are eliminated, your ballot stops counting for the final round, but it counted in every round before that.
Can the candidate with the most first-choice votes lose? #
Yes. If they don’t reach a majority and most other voters rank a rival higher, the rival can overtake them in later rounds. It’s uncommon but happens in close, crowded races.
Does ranked-choice voting take longer to count? #
The calculation itself takes minutes. The wait comes from needing every ballot, including late mail and overseas ballots, before running the rounds, so final results in close races can take days.
What’s the difference between ranked-choice voting and approval voting? #
Ranked-choice asks you to order candidates and transfers votes by elimination. Approval voting lets you mark every candidate you find acceptable, and the most-approved candidate wins in a single count.
Which states ban ranked-choice voting? #
At least 18 states have banned it, most since 2022, including Florida, Tennessee, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, North Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming, Indiana and Ohio.