There was an interesting new post on the subject of ranked voting published by Cardinal Institute. Here is an excerpt:

Conservatives give me the stink eye when I tell them I favor ranked-choice voting, which many jurisdictions are considering for 2022. But when combined with election integrity and voter education, this alternative voting process has advantages that outweigh its costs. 

WHAT IS RANKED-CHOICE VOTING?

Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is not hard to learn. Voters rank their preferences so that they need only vote once. This method enables instant runoffs. Otherwise there would be two elections for the same office.

Traditional RCV includes multiple rounds of vote counting. Each round, the poorest-performing candidate is eliminated. Meanwhile, if a voter’s candidate is eliminated, their next preference counts instead. 

This process can confuse voters at first, but the process tends to elect candidates with more widespread support. Candidates also become more likely to show civility toward opponents as they vie for second-choice votes.

Continue reading here. Also see related Democracy Chronicles articles like those on Voting Methods, Direct Democracy, and definitely checkout our main Voting Methods section.