Instant runoff voting

The Basics

 http://www.instantrunoff.com/the-basics

Instant runoff voting (IRV) is a ranked choice voting system for single-winner elections that simulates a majority runoff in one round of voting. Also called ranked choice voting and preferential voting, IRV avoids the undemocratic outcomes of plurality voting when so-called "spoilers" split the majority vote. By allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference, IRV enables voters to vote their hopes instead of their fears, upholds the principle of majority rule and avoids the expenses and campaign spending associated with two rounds of voting.
Instant runoff voting is used to elect the national parliaments of Australia and Papua New Guinea, the president of Ireland and the leaders of governments in a growing number of cities, including London (United Kingdom), Wellington (New Zealand), Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota, San Francisco and Oakland in California, and Portland (ME). IRV is also used to select the Best Picture Oscar and for leaders of hundreds of major private associations and student governments.
Explore this website for more information on how IRV works and where it is used. For more information on the benefits of IRV, see Why Use IRV?

How Instant Runoff Voting Works

1. Instant runoff voting uses ranked choice ballots to simulate a traditional runoff in a single round of voting. Voters rank candidates in order of preference. They typically are given the option to rank as many or as few candidates as they wish. Indicating support for a lesser choice never counts your higher choices.
2. Every voter has one vote. That vote is counted initially for a voter's first choice. If a candidate receives a majority of votes after tallying first choice, he or she is elected.
3. If no candidate receives a majority of first choices, the last-place candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.
4. Ballots cast for the eliminated candidate are now added to the totals of those voters' second choices.
5. This process of eliminating last-place candidates and adding ballots cast for those candidates to the totals of the next-ranked choice continues until one candidate wins by securing a majority of the vote against remaining candidates.