Holy Grail of Elections: Does Ranked Choice Voting Produce True Majority Winners?

Source: fairvote.org

In the ongoing search for electoral systems that meet the demands of modern democracies, ranked choice voting (RCV) is gaining momentum. Advocates present it as a smarter alternative to plurality voting—one that strengthens majority rule, reduces negative campaigning, and offers voters more meaningful choices. By ranking candidates rather than selecting just one, voters can express preferences more fully and support their ideal candidate without fear of "wasting" their vote.

Proponents also argue that RCV encourages a more diverse field of candidates, giving independents and third-party contenders a better chance to compete. Critics, however, caution that RCV may simply exchange old problems for new ones. They point to the complexity of ballots, the need for extensive voter education, and the risk of confusion or ballot errors, particularly in lower-information elections.

How RCV Works

RCV allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate wins a majority of first-choice votes, the one with the fewest is eliminated. Ballots for that candidate are then redistributed based on the next-ranked choices. This continues until a candidate earns a majority of remaining active votes.

Why People Like It

Supporters say RCV more accurately reflects the will of the electorate. Under plurality systems, candidates can win with as little as 30–35% of the vote in crowded fields. RCV requires broader support, helping ensure that winners reflect a wider voter base.

Is It a "True Majority"?

A central debate around RCV is what constitutes a "majority." Because ballots that don’t list enough preferences can become “exhausted” and drop out before the final round, the winning candidate may achieve a majority of continuing ballots—but not a majority of all ballots cast. Whether this counts as a “true majority” depends on how one defines the electorate: by all participants or only those whose ballots remain active. Supporters emphasize that better ballot design and voter education can reduce exhaustion.

Complexity and Voter Understanding

RCV is more complex than single-choice voting and requires public education to ensure voters fill out their ballots correctly. Without proper outreach, voters may misunderstand the ranking process or leave ballots partially blank, leading to ballot exhaustion. However, in cities like San Francisco, Santa Fe, and Minneapolis, post-implementation studies have found high levels of voter understanding and confidence. A report by New America found that most voters in the US, even first-timers, say they understand how RCV works (New America report).

Impact on Campaigns

RCV may also influence how candidates campaign. Since being a second or third choice can help secure victory, candidates may be less likely to attack opponents and more likely to appeal to a broader coalition. While the actual impact varies across elections, many observers suggest that RCV can help foster more civil discourse.

Preventing Vote Splitting

RCV can help reduce vote-splitting, a common problem in plurality elections where similar candidates divide support and allow a less popular option to win. Under RCV, voters can support a preferred candidate without worrying about inadvertently helping their least preferred one. FairVote: RCV solves the "spoiler" problem.

Administrative Trade-Offs

Despite its benefits, RCV does bring administrative challenges. It can be more expensive to implement and slower to tabulate, especially in large races with many candidates. Multiple rounds of counting and the need for more sophisticated systems can raise concerns about transparency and trust. MIT Election Data + Science Lab report. 

• RCV in Global News New York City (2025 Democratic Mayoral Primary): Over a million voters used five-choice RCV. A SurveyUSA poll found 96% of voters said the ballot was easy to use.
• Australia (2025 Federal Election): Australia continues using RCV (instant-runoff) for House elections, reaffirming its status as a global model.
• Washington, D.C. (2024): Voters overwhelmingly approved RCV for local elections. Vox coverage.
• Portland, Oregon (2022): Voters approved RCV and a city government overhaul including a 12-member council. The Guardian.
• Alaska (2024): Voters rejected an RCV repeal, keeping their open primary + RCV system. Wikipedia summary.
• Ireland: Uses RCV for parliamentary elections.
• India: Uses RCV to elect the President and in some legislative council elections.
• Papua New Guinea: Uses Limited Preferential Voting (a form of RCV) since 2003 to promote stability and inclusion.

Is It the Holy Grail?

RCV offers meaningful improvements: it reduces vote-splitting, broadens voter expression, and may promote more civil campaigning. But it’s not a universal fix. It brings trade-offs in cost, complexity, and the definition of majority. As global examples from New York to Australia to India show, RCV can succeed with transparency, robust education, and thoughtful implementation.

No system is perfect. But for jurisdictions aiming to reflect the will of more voters in crowded fields, RCV remains a compelling option—worthy of continued study, testing, and refinement.

People’s Veto in the Digital Age: How Online Referendums Can Extend Participation Beyond Elections

The idea that citizens should have direct power to hold government accountable at all times gave rise to referendums. They remain as one of the most powerful expressions of direct democracy. From constitutional reforms to independence votes, referendums allow citizens to weigh in on major national decisions between election cycles.

In many democracies, citizens are increasingly turning to them as a way to influence policy and hold elected officials accountable beyond elections. Taiwan, for example, has seen a growing number of recall elections in recent years, the latest of which is set in July 2025. Recall elections and referendums share a key characteristic: they enable the electorate to exercise direct power over government.

In the digital age, this “people’s veto” is undergoing a quiet transformation. Spurred by new technologies and shifting expectations of civic participation, online referendums and recall elections promise to give the electorate an even louder voice in governance.

The emergence of secure online voting opens the door for a more agile form of direct democracy. Already, countries like Estonia and Mexico have successfully implemented internet voting, proving it’s possible to preserve both access and integrity in a digital format. As these technologies improve, it’s not hard to imagine a future where referendums, recall elections, and other citizen-led initiatives are conducted more frequently and conveniently—without requiring voters to visit physical polling places.

Such a future could lead to more responsive governance. Citizens could vote on key issues from their homes, participate in digital deliberations, and trigger recall votes when a critical mass of dissatisfaction is reached. When designed with robust safeguards—identity verification, cybersecurity, audit trails—online tools could make it easier for citizens to directly shape the direction of their communities and countries.

But this vision also comes with a caveat. The ease of digital engagement must not come at the expense of thoughtful debate. Populist waves, viral misinformation, or visceral decision-making could distort outcomes if checks and balances are not built in. Moreover, fair thresholds for initiating referendums and recalls must be determined and upheld to prevent their misuse or overuse.

Ultimately, the evolution of referendums reflects a more fundamental shift: citizens want more say, more often, and more conveniently. By harnessing the right digital tools and learning from real-world examples, democracies can move toward a future where direct participation becomes not just more feasible, but more meaningful. When used thoughtfully, such digital “people’s veto” serve as important safety valves in a democracy.

As the world reimagines democracy in the digital age, referendums may no longer be the exception—they could become the norm.

Philippines’ Election Tech Woes Spark Concern

 

The Philippines, long regarded as a regional pioneer in election modernization, is now in the midst of a crisis that threatens to unravel years of progress. The 2025 national elections—plagued by widespread technical failures—have cast a shadow over the country’s hard-earned reputation.

The breakdown began at the very start of election day, when President Bongbong Marcos himself struggled to cast his vote as the automated counting machine repeatedly failed to scan his ballot. This scenario—machines rejecting ballots, malfunctioning printers, and stalled voting lines—was not an isolated case. As widely reported, similar incidents unfolded in thousands of precincts nationwide.

Local election watchdogs like LENTE and the PPCRV warned that the problems were not merely technical hiccups but signs of deeper systemic failures. Overvoting occurred on a large scale due to low-quality paper ballots and substandard pens that caused ink to bleed and marks to be misread. Many voters also reported discrepancies between their selections and the printed voter receipts (VVPATs).

As voting ended and vote-counting machines began transmitting results, media tech teams discovered that thousands of vote transmissions had been duplicated—corresponding to nearly five million votes. COMELEC later claimed it had corrected the issue in the early hours of the morning, but the lack of transparency around the fix only deepened public distrust.

The magnitude of these glitches is difficult to overstate. They have cast a dark cloud over the credibility of the electoral process and triggered widespread public outcry. What’s worse, this is not the first time Miru Systems—the technology provider responsible for this year’s infrastructure—has been implicated in election failures. In Iraq’s 2018 parliamentary elections, Miru’s technology failed so catastrophically that the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) was forced to mandate a full nationwide recount. Today, echoes of that episode are reverberating in the Philippines, where some public officials, civil society organizations, and voters alike are starting to demand a similar audit.

Filipinos waited for hours under the punishing heat, queuing with hope and conviction that their vote would count. That trust now hangs in the balance. A transparent manual recount—as already requested by the PPCRV—is essential not only to confirm who truly won and lost, but also to begin restoring public faith in the democratic process. In parallel, election data must be made fully accessible to independent auditors.

The Philippines stands at a crossroads. The world is watching. These elections can still be redeemed—not through spin or silence, but through truth, transparency, and accountability. Without that, the country’s proud legacy of electoral innovation may be lost. But with courage and reform, it can emerge stronger—and once again lead by example.

Should Voting Be Compelled?

The debate over compulsory versus voluntary voting systems is central to discourse on democratic governance, voter turnout, and representation. Both systems carry distinct implications on political engagement, policy outcomes, and the perception of legitimacy of elected officials.

Countries with mandatory voting consistently report higher voter turnout compared to voluntary systems. For example, Australia enforces compulsory voting and achieves turnout rates between 90% and 95%. Belgium and Turkey also see high participation rates, with 87.2% and 86.4%, respectively.

These elevated turnout rates ensure that election outcomes more accurately reflect the preferences of the entire electorate, enhancing the legitimacy of governance. Conversely, voluntary systems often suffer from lower turnout, as evidenced by the United States' 63.7% turnout in the 2024 presidential election, Bulgaria’s 38.94%, and Pakistan’s 47.28% in their 2024 parliamentary elections. This disparity can lead to underrepresentation of certain demographic groups, skewing policy decisions toward more active voting populations.

Benefits of Compulsory Voting

Proponents argue that mandatory participation encourages citizens to become more informed about political issues, as they are legally obligated to vote. Research suggests that strong enforcement of compulsory voting can positively impact political knowledge by incentivizing individuals to educate themselves or by imparting incidental knowledge through the voting process.

Limitations

However, critics highlight that compulsory voting does not uniformly enhance political engagement. Studies have found that while turnout increases under mandatory systems, some individuals comply without becoming more politically aware, potentially leading to uninformed voting choices. Additionally, forcing uninterested citizens to vote may increase feelings of political alienation.

Inclusivity in Policy

Compulsory voting often leads to policies that address the needs of diverse socioeconomic groups. Research has linked mandatory voting with reduced income inequality, as governments become more responsive to a broader cross-section of society. In contrast, voluntary systems may favor higher socioeconomic groups with greater voter turnout, perpetuating existing inequalities.

Voluntary Voting's Appeal

Voluntary systems respect individual choice and may lead to higher satisfaction among participants who view voting as a deliberate act of civic engagement. However, low turnout risks undermining the perceived legitimacy of elected officials and institutions.

Compulsory Voting's Challenges

Mandatory participation can provoke resentment among citizens who view it as an infringement on personal freedom. Critics argue that forcing uninterested individuals to vote may weaken their support for democratic institutions. Additionally, compulsory voting often results in higher rates of invalid votes (e.g., blank or spoiled ballots), which can dilute electoral outcomes.

Enforcement Challenges

Implementing compulsory voting requires systems to monitor compliance and administer penalties for non-voters. This process can be resource-intensive and face public resistance. For example, Chile experienced a dramatic drop in voter turnout—from 87% in 2010 to 42% in 2013—after shifting from compulsory to voluntary voting due to enforcement challenges.

Both voting systems offer unique advantages. Compulsory voting ensures higher turnout and equitable representation but raises concerns about personal freedom and uninformed participation. On the other hand, voluntary voting respects individual choice but risks lower engagement and less representative governance.

The choice between these systems should consider a nation's specific political, cultural, and social contexts. Balancing inclusivity, freedom, and effective representation remains crucial for fostering healthy democratic processes.