Have you ever felt like your vote doesn't really matter, especially when there are more than two candidates in an election? Or maybe you've worried about "wasting" your vote on a candidate you like but who seems unlikely to win?

These are common feelings with our traditional voting system where the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they don’t get a majority (more than 50%). But there are other ways to count votes that could change how elections work and how our elected officials behave.

Ranked Choice Voting: How It Works

One of the most talked-about alternatives is Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). Instead of picking just one candidate, RCV lets you rank candidates in the order you like them: your first choice, your second choice, your third, and so on.

Here’s a simple look at how it works for a single-winner election:

First Count: All the first-choice votes are counted.

Majority Check: If one candidate has more than 50% of the first-choice votes, they win right away.

Elimination: If no one has a majority, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated.

Redistribution: The people who voted for the eliminated candidate now have their votes go to their second-choice candidate.

Repeat: This process of eliminating the last-place candidate and moving their votes continues until one candidate has a majority of the remaining votes. That person is the winner.

The main goal of RCV is to ensure the winner has support from a wider group of people, not just the most passionate group of supporters. It aims to elect someone who is acceptable to a larger number of voters.

Other New Ways to Count Your Vote

RCV is not the only alternative. Other methods include:

Approval Voting: You vote for as many candidates as you like. The person with the most votes wins. This system is simple and aims to elect a broadly acceptable candidate.

Score Voting: You give each candidate a score (for example, from 0 to 5 or 1 to 10). The candidate with the highest total score wins. This lets you show how much you like or dislike each candidate.

Each of these systems has its unique rules and can change election results.

How Do These Methods Affect Elections?

How we count votes influences who wins and how candidates run their campaigns.

Impact on Winners:

Winners with Majority Support: RCV's main goal is to make sure the winner has the support of more than half the voters. In our current system, a candidate can win with less than 50% of the vote if several other candidates split the votes. RCV often leads to a winner who is more widely liked, as candidates need to appeal to voters beyond their core supporters to get those crucial second and third-place rankings. A good example is the 2022 Alaska Congressional Special Election, where Mary Peltola won with RCV after the initial votes were split among several candidates.

Less "Wasted" Votes: In a traditional election, voting for a third-party candidate can feel like a "wasted" vote or like you're helping a candidate you dislike win. RCV mostly avoids this because you can rank your favorite candidate first without worrying. If your first choice is eliminated, your vote automatically goes to your second choice. This can encourage more diverse candidates to run and give you more freedom to vote with your heart.

Impact on Campaigns:

More Civil Campaigns: Because candidates need to get second and third-place votes from supporters of other candidates, they are encouraged to be less negative. If they attack an opponent too harshly, they might lose out on second- and third-place votes from that opponent's supporters.

Less Political Division: By encouraging candidates to seek wider appeal, RCV can potentially lead to the election of more moderate candidates and reduce the deep political divisions we see today. Instead of only focusing on getting their own base fired up, candidates must build broader support.

Potential Downsides

While the benefits are strong, these systems have critics:

Complexity: Some people argue that RCV can be confusing for voters who are used to simply picking one person. However, cities like New York City and states like Maine have found that most voters adapt quickly.

Lost Votes: If you only rank a few candidates and all of them are eliminated, your vote no longer counts in the later rounds. This is called "ballot exhaustion." While a small percentage of votes might not count in the end, supporters argue it’s a small price to pay for making sure the winner has majority support.

Delayed Results: Since the vote count is a multi-step process, final results may not be known on election night, which can be frustrating.

Alternative voting methods like RCV are being used in cities and states across the country, from New York City to Alaska and Maine. They are a significant change from our traditional system and have real effects on election outcomes.

By allowing voters to express their preferences more fully, these systems aim to elect candidates with broader support, encourage more positive campaigns, and potentially reduce political division. The evidence suggests that how we count our votes profoundly shapes our democracy. As citizens, understanding these different approaches is essential for making informed decisions about the future of our elections.