What is IRV?
Three is a crowd in a plurality voting system. It allows someone to win even when the last choice of a majority of voters. By discouraging new candidates, plurality voting suppress new ideas and dissenting opinion. It encourage campaigns built around negative attacks.
In contrast, instant runoff voting (IRV) upholds the goals of majority rule and voter choice. IRV alleviate concerns about the dreaded “spoiler effect” and encourages winning candidates to reach out to more people. Unlike traditional runoff elections, it accomplishes these goals in a single election.
With IRV voters get one vote and one ballot, but get to rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate wins with a first-choice majority, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated and their supporters' second choices are distributed to the remaining candidates in an “instant runoff." The process of elimination and redistribution continues until one candidate has a majority. That's all there is to it! Read more about How IRV works.
New to Instant Runoff Voting?
Not familiar with instant runoff voting? FairVote has compiled answers to frequently asked questions about IRV.
Endorsers of IRV
IRV has been endorsed by elected officials, organizations, civic leaders, and newspapers. Read more about who endorses IRV."
Where IRV Has Been Adopted
