In St. Paul, we use ranked voting to elect our mayor and city council members. It’s not as complicated as it sounds.
I am casting two votes for mayor in our election on November 4. I have two choices: a first and a second. Voters are given six choices, ranked 1 through 6, but that doesn’t mean six choices are necessary. Cast your vote or votes for the candidates you want to win and ignore the rest.
St. Paul uses a ranked choice voting system (RCV) for its municipal elections, including mayoral and city council races. The system has been in existence since 2009.
How RCV works in St. Paul
- Candidates ranking: Voters can rank multiple candidates for the same office in order of preference.
- Win immediately: If a candidate receives more than 50% of the first choice votes, he wins the election.
- Immediate disposal: If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.
- Vote redistribution: The ballots cast for the eliminated candidate are then reallocated to the voter’s second choice candidate.
- Repeat until a majority: This process continues until a single candidate receives more than 50% of the votes and is declared the winner.
What RCV applies to
- RCV is used to elect the mayor and city council members.
- It does not apply to the Saint Paul School Board race, which uses the traditional voting method.
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