FairVote has been a consistent advocate of asking voters for more than just their first choice in polling. As the race narrows in the Republican field, second choices will inevitably play a large role in how the eventual nominee consolidates support.

As long as we use a primary system that prioritizes some voices over others, the voices of most primary voters across the country are devalued. In a perfect world, what would a fair primary system look like?

FairVote is eager to offer non-partisan commentary throughout the nomination process. Unlike most news sources, we will not focus on candidate speeches, endorsements, or generic results reporting. Instead, our Primary Focus series will assess the systemic components that benefit or harm the voices of Americans.

PPP’s latest set of data from Iowa shows significant strength for Cruz. FairVote used data from PPP’s three way contests to simulate a ranked choice contest for a state. Cruz dramatically narrows Trump’s lead in the first round, and in each subsequent round earns enough second-choice support to easily emerge as the victor.

The nominations for all Academy Award categories from Best Picture to Best Sound Mixing have been released. Most slates of nominees were selected using a voting system very similar to the “multi-winner” form of ranked choice voting that FairVote advocates for.

The latest PPP survey of New Hampshire voters from early January shows marked gains for Marco Rubio, especially as a backup choice for voters who would pick a different candidate first. This means that in an RCV primary, Rubio’s support would grow as weaker candidates are eliminated, leaving him well positioned to earn a majority among Republican voters.

Ranked choice voting has the potential to bring voters back into the political process with real choices--something we all deserve in every election.