Instant runoff voting is a nonpartisan approach to elect candidates with broad voter support.
Instant runoff voting (sometimes referred to as instant runoffs or ranked choice voting) is a method of voting in which instead of voting for a single candidate, the voter ranks candidates on the ballot in order of preference – first, second, third, and so on.
If a candidate gets more than half of all first-choice votes, they win just as in any other election.
If no candidate gets a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and voters who picked that candidate as "number 1" will have their votes count for their "number 2". This process repeats until a candidate wins with more than half of the remaining votes, thus serving as a series of virtual runoffs ("virtual" because voting takes place once and "runoffs" occur in the tallying process).
This method gives voters more choice by eliminating the fear of wasting your vote on someone who can't win. It also avoids the problem of similar candidates splitting the vote and enabling someone to win whom a majority does not support.
Instant runoff voting is nonpartisan. It sometimes helps Republicans, sometimes helps Democrats, and always helps elect candidates with broad voter support.
Watch this video to learn more:
Why Texas Needs Instant Runoff Voting
Want to Try Out Instant Runoffs?
You can vote in an instant runoff election now using a free app called RCV123. Learn more here.