AmericaIn single-winner instant-runoff voting, voters rank candidates and ballots can transfer when a candidate is eliminated. Local rules determine the details.
A three-candidate example
Imagine 100 ballots: A has 40 first choices, B has 35, and C has 25. If C is eliminated and those 25 ballots next rank B, B reaches 60 and wins. If some have no remaining eligible choice, those ballots stop contributing to later rounds. This is an illustration, not an actual election result.
The NYC election authority explains its local ranked-choice process. Its limits and covered contests should not be treated as a national rule. Multi-winner proportional systems are also different from the single-winner method illustrated here.
Read the denominator
When you hear “the winner had a majority”, ask: a majority of original ballots, first choices, or continuing ballots in the final round? The denominator matters. A ballot with no remaining choice is often called exhausted; it is not necessarily an invalid original ballot.
Compare a round-by-round table with the written counting rule. You should be able to explain where every transfer goes and which ballots remain active.
Evaluate the implementation
Questions worth testing include ballot clarity, accessibility, ranking limits, voter education, audit procedures, and the time needed to report complete results. Do not assume a voting method automatically improves every outcome or eliminates strategic behavior.
A useful reform discussion starts with an actual sample ballot and a worked count. Ask people to try it, then record points of confusion before deciding how the system should be administered.
Make it useful
Your next steps
- Identify whether the proposal is single-winner or multi-winner.
- Read the local ranking, tie, elimination, and reporting rules.
- Check which denominator is used for final-round percentages.
Take it into practice
A starting template you can adapt—not a form submitted to America.co.
First round: A ____, B ____, C ____. Eliminated: ____. Transfers: ____. Exhausted: ____. Final continuing total: ____. Winner under the stated rule: ____.
Common questions
Does a second choice hurt my first choice in instant runoff?
Your ballot is assigned to its highest-ranked continuing candidate in a round; a later preference is used after earlier choices are no longer continuing.
Can a ranked ballot run out of choices?
Yes, if none of its ranked candidates remains eligible under the applicable rules.
Follow the source trail
Source pages consulted October 4, 2026. Original worksheets and evaluation questions are America.co guidance; they are not government instructions.
- NYC Board of Elections — Ranked choice voting ↗Official explanation; local rules
This guide uses AI-assisted drafting and links the underlying sources. It has not been presented as expert-reviewed advice. Read our editorial approach. Send a correction with the source and passage.