Discover RCV's many benefits in this 2-1/2 minute video:
RCV is an easy way to vote.
Imagine it's election season and you receive your ballot. But this time you have the option of ranking the candidates in order of your preference. 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd, and so on... as many or as few as you want. Just like you might rank your preferred ice cream flavors as your shopping buddy heads to the store. That's Ranked Choice Voting. It’s as easy as 1-2-3!
RCV ensures election winners have true majority support.
In North Carolina, winning a primary election requires only 30% of the votes. Winning a general election has NO required minimum. The most votes wins, even if well below 30%. In a common four-way general election, someone could win with as little as 26% of the vote. It gets worse the more candidates that run!
With RCV, a true majority is required to win. Here’s how: After the 1st place votes are counted, if no candidate has over 50%, the last place candidate is eliminated and their earned votes are automatically transferred to those voters’ 2nd choices. Then all votes are counted again. This process repeats until a candidate earns over 50%.
RCV saves money and time.
Today, if no candidate earns the 30% required to win a primary, a second "run-off" election is held. Voters must take time out of their schedule and travel to the voting booth yet again. It seems every cycle, our state spends millions of dollars on run-offs. Imagine everything else that could be done with your tax money!
Costly run-off elections can be avoided. With RCV, voters’ preferences down the ballot are provided the first time around, and the winner is determined almost instantly. This is why RCV is also known as “Instant Run-off Voting” (IRV).
RCV gives voters more power.
Many voters, including military service people, utilize early or mail-in voting. However, these votes get wasted if their preferred candidate later drops out of the race (as is common in primary elections). With RCV, if your candidate drops out, your vote gets automatically transferred to your next choice. Your voice continues to be heard until a majority winner emerges.
RCV eliminates vote-splitting.
Many voters today feel unable to vote their conscience and worry that voting for their favorite candidate may cause a candidate they don’t want to win. Instead, they vote strategically, settling for a less-desired candidate. With RCV, because candidates must earn greater than 50% to win, vote-splitting is a non-issue.
RCV leads to more choices.
At times, would-be public servants are discouraged from running for office. They fear being a "spoiler" that might split the vote with a similar candidate, causing a different one to win. Because RCV eliminates vote-splitting, more candidates are motivated to run. This means voters may have more choices come election day!
RCV encourages more positive campaigning.
Candidates know that to win in most elections today they only have to make sure their opponents get fewer votes. With RCV, candidates are less incentivized to attack competitors, for mudslinging may drive away potential 2nd , 3rd, (etc.) place votes. Campaigns in RCV elections tend to be more civil, less divisive, and encourage more coalition-building.
RCV helps parties choose electable nominees.
RCV elections encourage candidates to grow their tent and earn not just 1st place votes, but also 2nd place, 3rd place, etc.. As a result, the winner is guaranteed to be the candidate with the most broad public support. As such, RCV helps political parties determine which of their primary candidates is most likely to win in the general election.
RCV results in more favorable candidates and outcomes.
RCV requires candidates to appeal to a true majority of voters to win. As a result, primary election winners are viewed as more favorable nominees for the general election. Imagine for once not feeling depressed about your options! Likewise, in the general election RCV ensures that only the candidate with the widest public appeal is eventually elected to office.
RCV is simply better for our democracy!
Imagine a more peaceful future where candidates focus on solutions instead of attacking their opponents!
To bring Ranked Choice Voting to North Carolina, we need to show our legislators that RCV has wide public support.
