'If You Can Keep It': The Realities Of Ranked Choice Voting | Rank MI Vote Skip to main content

| 1A | NPR |

Both major political parties have now wrapped up their conventions. In one way, they’re advertisements for why Americans should vote for each party’s candidates, from president all the way down the ticket. But this year, voters in five states will see another question on their ballot: whether to use a different method to elect their representatives.

The system is known broadly as ranked choice voting. There are different flavors of it. In some cases, it’s called “instant runoff voting” or “final five voting.”

How are voters responding?

In all cases, they describe a way of electing candidates that’s different from what most Americans are used to. Ranked choice voting systems are already in place for some races in Alaska, Maine, and cities like Minneapolis and New York City.

What’s driving reformers to push for these ranked choice voting systems in more states? And how are voters responding?

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