=====Ranked Choice Voting=====
===Lede===
Ranked choice voting (RCV), also known as instant-runoff voting or preferential voting, is an electoral system that allows voters to rank candidates by preference rather than selecting just one. This method aims to ensure that elected officials have the majority support of the electorate instead of winning through a simple plurality, where the candidate with the most votes wins regardless of whether they achieve more than 50% of the vote.

===Current State===
Ranked choice voting is implemented in various parts of the world including Australia and Ireland at national levels and several jurisdictions within the United States. In the U.S., RCV has been adopted for specific municipal elections, presidential primaries, and certain congressional districts. The process involves eliminating the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes and reallocating their votes to voters' next preferences until one candidate secures a majority. For example, Maine uses RCV for its federal elections, presidential elections, and state-level primaries, though constitutional constraints have prevented its extension to state general elections. Internationally, while not widely used at national levels, some local elections in Canada and the United Kingdom have experimented with RCV.

===Consensus Status===
N/A - no qualifying consensus

===Viewpoints===
Proponents of ranked choice voting argue that it reduces "wasted" votes since voters can express their preferences more comprehensively. It is also believed to encourage more civil campaigns by discouraging negative campaigning, as candidates aim to be the second or third choices of opponents' supporters. Some advocates assert that RCV breaks down the dominance of a two-party system, thereby promoting greater political diversity ([[ranked-choice-voting-political-diversity-viewpoint]]). Furthermore, it is suggested that RCV increases voter turnout by providing voters with more meaningful choices and supports fairer representation by mitigating the spoiler effect. This effect occurs when third-party candidates split votes, potentially altering the outcome of an election to favor a less preferred candidate over a majority's first choice ([[ranked-choice-voting-spoiler-effect-viewpoint]]).

===Controversies===
There are concerns about ballot design complexity and the potential for increased invalid votes due to RCV. There is also debate regarding whether RCV significantly changes electoral outcomes compared to traditional voting systems ([[ranked-choice-voting-changes-outcomes-controversy]]). Discussions continue over the impact of RCV in multi-candidate races where strategic voting might still be prevalent, and questions remain about how well RCV represents voter preferences when candidates have widely differing rankings ([[ranked-choice-voting-strategic-voting-controversy]], [[ranked-choice-voting-representation-of-voter-preferences-controversy]]). Some controversies also revolve around potential delays in election results due to the complex process of counting and tabulating ranked ballots ([[ranked-choice-voting-delayed-results-controversy]]).

===Related Pages===
- Page about first-past-the-post electoral systems
- Page about the impacts of ranked choice voting on two-party systems
- Debate on voter understanding and engagement with RCV
- History of implementation in U.S. cities
- Analysis of cost implications for implementing RCV

===Footnotes===
1. Election Commission reports on RCV adoption across different states.
2. Studies on voter behavior and election outcomes under RCV systems.