How does ranked choice voting work?

"Ranked choice voting (RCV) is a type of voting system where voters rank candidates in order of preference. It is also known as preferential voting or instant-runoff voting.

Here's how RCV typically works:

1. Voters are given a ballot with a list of candidates and are asked to rank their preferences from first to last.
2. In the first round of vote counting, only first-choice votes are counted. If a candidate receives a majority of the first-choice votes (i.e., more than 50%), then they are declared the winner.
3. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, then the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated from the race.
4. The ballots of voters who ranked the eliminated candidate as their first choice are then redistributed to the remaining candidates based on the voters' second choice.
5. The vote count is then repeated, with the candidate who now has the fewest votes being eliminated and their ballots being redistributed to the remaining candidates based on the voters' next preference.
6. This process is repeated until a candidate receives a majority of the votes and is declared the winner.

RCV can help ensure that the winner of an election has the support of a majority of voters, rather than just a plurality. It also allows voters to express their preferences more fully, since they can rank their choices in order rather than just selecting one candidate. Additionally, RCV can help reduce the negative effects of vote splitting, where multiple candidates with similar views split the vote and allow a less-preferred candidate to win with a minority of the vote." -ChatGPT