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Ranked choice voting (RCV), also known as instant run-off or single transferable vote, is a system of voting where voters rank multiple candidates in their order of preference. If a voter’s top-ranked choice is eliminated and no candidate receives a majority of the votes, then their vote is transferred to their second-ranked and subsequent choices until a winner is determined.
Supporters of ranked choice voting argue that it promotes consensus and combats political polarization by favoring candidates who can appeal to a broad segment of the electorate. Opponents contend the system is overly complicated and runs counter to the principle of one-person,-one-vote
As of December 2025, ranked choice voting is used for congressional and presidential elections in Maine; state, congressional, and presidential general elections in Alaska; all elections in the District of Columbia, special congressional elections in Hawaii; and for local elections in 47 US cities. Since 2020, voters in seven states have rejected ballot initiatives that would have implemented, or allowed legislatures to implement, ranked choice voting, according to Wikipedia, and ranked choice voting has been banned in seventeen states, including Oklahoma in 2024.
Ranked-choice voting in the US by state, as of June 2024[1]
