ATTACHMENT 1
1 MEMORANDUM
DATE: June 14, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Kimberley Clark, City Clerk
BY: Melissa Dekermenji, CMC, Records Manager
SUBJECT: Ranked Choice Voting Information & Update Regarding Status In Los Angeles County
General I
nformation on Ranked Choice Voting
There are different types of ranked choice voting (RCV) . T he following summarizes some options and resources that provide additional information.
The Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center (
RCVRC) has several pdfs available
(Exhibit A). They primarily focus on the two main types of ranked choice voting utilized in the United States: Single- winner RCV (to select a consensus candidate with broad support) and Proportional RCV (to fill multiple seats on a legislative body in proportion to the electorate). These documents indicate that some U.S. jurisdictions have adopted block-pr
eferential voting (BPV) as an alternative approach to filling multiple seats using RCV. Ranked Choice Voting utilizing a percentage threshold was employed by the Democratic Party in four states to assign delegates during the 2020 Presidential Primary.
Proportional R
anked Choice Voting, however, is considered best practice for filling multiple seats using RCV.
CITY CLERK’S
OFFICE
2 The Council of State Governments provides a Comparison of Ranked Choice Voting Systems:
Ballot
Counting
System
Outcome
Seats
Elected
at Once
Counting Method Notable Examples
Alternative
Vote (AV) Majoritarian 1
Candidates with fewest first
preference votes are
eliminated successively and
their voters go to their next
choices until one candidate
has a majority.
Alaska and Maine,
Australia and Fiji, the
Oscar for “Best Picture”
and the Hugo Awards for
Science Fiction
Two Round –
Majority
Runoff
Majoritarian 1
Candidates who are not in first
or second place in total votes
are eliminated in the first
round. The second round
includes only the top two
candidates.
Georgia and Louisiana,
France presidential
elections
Two Round –
Majority
Plurality
Majoritarian 2+
Candidates who do not reach a
certain threshold of votes are
eliminated in the first round.
The second round includes all
candidates that met the
threshold.
France legislative
elections
Preferential
Block Vote or
Multiple
Transferable
Vote (MTV)
Majoritarian 2+
Candidates with the fewest first
preference votes are
eliminated successively and
their voters go to their next
choices until one candidate
has a majority. The count is
then repeated with the elected
candidates removed until all
seats are filled.
Some local elections in
Utah
Single
Transferable
Vote (STV)
Proportional 2+
Candidates with fewest first
preference votes are
eliminated successively and
their voters go to their next
choices until all seats are filled.
Some local elections in
Massachusetts,
Michigan, and California,
Ireland and Malta
legislative elections
Borda Count
Varies with
number of
seats
awarded at
once
1+
Candidates with the highest
rankings are elected
successively until all seats are
filled.
Kiribati presidential
nominations and Nauru
legislative elections, the
Major League Baseball’s
Most Valuable Player
(MVP), the Heisman
Trophy for college
football
3 Alameda County which conducts RCV has a Q&A page on their website. Additionally, an article from the California Law Review addresses the legality of RCV.
RCV In Redondo Beach
The City of Redondo Beach is in Los Angeles County, but conducts its own stand-alone elections as a charter city following a successful legal challenge to the Voter Participation Rights Act requirement that low participation jurisdictions align themselves with statewide elections. (Justia Opinion Summary)
Since the City of Redondo Beach still conducts stand- alone elections they have purchased the Hart InterCivic Verity Voting System for their elections and rely on ProVote Solutions t o print their ballots. In speaking to the City of Redondo Beach, they have staff from Hart InterCivic Verity assist with the voting during their election season. In March 2023, Redondo Beach voters approved a charter amendment to adopt ranked choice voting. Hart InterCivic Verity is currently in the process of becoming certified with the Secretary of State to be able to conduct ranked choice voting for Redondo Beach elections.
The City Clerk of Redondo Beach will take a report to their City Council to determine which type of ranked choice voting they will be implementing. They estimate they will conduct their first ranked choice voting election in 2025, and were unable to provide any cost information based on past elections.
CITY CLERK OUTREACH TO LOS ANGELES COUNTY REGISTRAR
In March 2023, the City Clerk’s office provided the City Council the responses from the Executive Office of Alex Olvera, Division Manager, Election Information and Preparation of the Los Angeles County Registrar -Recorder/County Clerk ’s Office to the following questions:
1. What would be the opportunities and obstacles to potentially implement Ranked Choice Voting in the City of Burbank?
• There is currently no legal framework in the state of California to support Ranked Choice Voting
• The County’s VSAP voting solution is not designed to support Ranked Choice Voting
2. If the City were to implement Ranked Choice Voting, would we lose the option of consolidating with the County and need to have a stand-alone election? • The County does not have the legal framework or the technology to support this method of voting, therefore, the County cannot administer a Ranked-Choice Voting election either consolidated on a County ballot or as a special stand-alone election.
3. Does the County foresee Ranked Choice Voting happening in the near future? 4 • The legal and technology issues would have to be addressed before this method of voting can be implemented in LA County.
At the April 11, 2023, Burbank City Council Meeting, Council directed City Clerk’s Office staff to request a formal statement from Dean C. Logan, Los Angeles County Registrar -Recorder/County Clerk , regarding Ranked Choice Voting and, specifically, Progressive Ranked- Choice Voting. On April 27, 2023, staff relayed Council’s inquiry by way of a formal letter to Dean C. Logan ( Exhibit B).
On June 8, 2023, the City Clerk received a formal response ( Exhibit C) from Logan which is attached in full and states in summary :
“…Currently, there is no statewide regulatory or legal authority for RCV. Under state law, charter cities and counties may adopt this method of voting through the adoption of a charter by a majority vote of its electors … …The Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) voting model and systems that support it, were intentionally built on a platform with the architecture necessary to adapt to changes in technology, public policy, legislation, and voter behavior.
Adapting, modifying, or enhancing the VSAP voting systems to allow for RCV, would require authority, time, and appropriate resources. Any changes to the voting system would be subject to testing and approval by the California Secretary of S tate for system certification .
If the City of Burbank were to adopt local authority for RCV and request the County to adapt or modify our voting system(s) to support RCV, that would require coordination, collaboration, and the resources/time referenced above.
Some level of engagement among all regulatory and administrative agencies involved would need to occur to fully determine the feasibility, estimated costs, and time frame for undertaking such an initiative…”
EXHIBITS
Exhibit A: Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center
Exhibit B: Letter to Dean C. Logan, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Exhibit C: Response from Dean C. Logan, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
Ranked-Choice Voting 101
U.S. Embassy in Chile, 2016, https://cl.usembassy.gov/21544-2/
RANKEDCHOICE VOTING
RESOUR C E CENTER
EXHIBT A
2 | RANKED-CHOICE VOTING 101 2022
RANKED-CHOICE VOTING 101
BY EMMA GODEL
OCTOBER 2022
ACKOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank Ryan Kirby and Chris Hughes for their fabulous mentorship this summer, and the whole team at RCVRC for giving me this valuable professional opportunity! I would also like to thank Emily Kramer for her friendship, expertise, and support throughout this project. As RCVRC’s first cohort of interns, we have an unbreakable bond!
AUTHOR BIO(S)
Emma Godel is a master of public administration student at the American University School of Public Affairs. Having interned for groups like Campus Vote Project, Vote Early Day, and the Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, she is passionate about democracy reform and civic engagement, especially among college students and young voters.
ABOUT THE RCVRC
The Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center (RCVRC), a division of the Election Ad- ministration Resource Center, is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to collect, distribute, and analyze information regarding the adoption, implementation, and impact of ranked-choice voting.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2022. This paper is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommer- cial license. It may be reproduced in its entirety as long as the Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center is credited, a link to the RCVRC’s web pages is provided, and no charge is imposed. The paper may be built upon so long as any derivatives are pro- vided under the same license. Please let the RCVRC know if you reprint. 3 | RANKED-CHOICE VOTING 101 2022
WHAT IS RANKED-CHOICE VOTING (RCV)?
Most Americans are familiar with plurality voting, the electoral system most commonly used in the United States. Under this method, voters select one candidate to represent their district, and the candidate receiving the most votes is elected to that office. 1 Ranked-choice voting (RCV), allows voters to select more than one candidate based on their individual pref - erences. Figure 1 shows a sample RCV ballot. 2 Used in races with at least three candidates, voters rank the candidates by their first choice, second choice, third choice, and so on (based on the number of candidates). Voters can rank as many or as few candidates allowed in their jurisdictions. 3
Figure 1:
A key difference between plurality voting and RCV is how winners are determined. To win a plurality election, a candidate only needs to earn the highest number of votes—even if the highest number is below 50% of the votes. As shown by Figures 2 and 3, Charles Graham (NC-07) and Scott Gryder (IL-14) won these plurality congressional primaries because they earned the most votes, in these cases, 31.2% and 30.9%, respectively. 4 Figure 2:
4 | RANKED-CHOICE VOTING 101 2022
Figure 3:
To win an RCV election, however, a candidate must earn a majority of votes (at least 50% plus one).5 Of course, because RCV elections allow voters to select more than one candidate, the vote-counting procedure for RCV also differs from that of plurality voting. Using data from the 2021 municipal elections in Springville, Utah, the procedure works as follows: 6
1. All first choices are counted.
a. If a candidate earns a majority of first choices, they are the winner of the elec - tion. Figure 4 shows an example of this situation—earning well over the majority of first choices, Matt Packard was elected Mayor of Springville, Utah, after one round of counting.
Figure 4:
5 | RANKED-CHOICE VOTING 101 2022
b. If no candidate earns a majority of first choices, the candidate who earned the fewest first choices is eliminated, and the counting continues. In Figure 5, because no candidate earned a majority in the Springville City Council race, Amanda Miller was eliminated , having earned the lowest share of first choices.
Figure 5:
2. After eliminating the lowest-finishing candidate, those ballots’ second choices are transferred to the respective candidates. If a candidate reaches the 50% threshold, they are declared the winner. As shown in Figure 6, if a voter ranked Miller as their first choice for the city council seat, their vote was transferred to whichever candidate they ranked second. If a voter chose not to rank any other candidates after Miller, then the ballot is considered inactive and not counted in later rounds.
Figure 6:
6 | RANKED-CHOICE VOTING 101 2022
3. If no winner has been declared, the process repeats with second choices, third choic - es, fourth choices, and so on until a candidate passes the majority threshold. In the Springville city council race, it took six rounds for Michael Snelson to earn a majority and be declared the winner (Figure 7).
Figure 7:
7 | RANKED-CHOICE VOTING 101 2022
PROPORTIONAL RANKED-CHOICE VOTING
The previous section describes the process for single-winner ranked-choice voting where one person is elected to a single seat. Examples of single-winner elections include mayoral, guber - natorial, presidential, U.S. House, and U.S. Senate races. 7 Meanwhile, proportional ranked- choice voting can be used for elections where more than one candidate can be elected to a multi-member body, like city council, county commission, or school board.
In a multi-winner plurality election, voters select a number of candidates according to the number of vacancies in the body. For example, if four seats are to be filled, voters will choose four candidates. However, this method of multi-winner elections may not create fair repre - sentation. A majority of voters can elect a slate of candidates to represent a district at-large, leaving voters in the minority underrepresented. 8 Worse, an organized minority of voters may be able to win many or all seats up for election with a plurality, entirely shutting out a disor - ganized majority.
Proportional RCV provides more opportunities for proportional representation, which allows a variety of political beliefs to be reflected in an elected body, proportional to the electorate.
For example, if 50% of voters support Party A, 30% support Party B, and 20% back Party C, proportional representation has the ability to yield a body that is 50% Party A members, 30% Party B, and 20% Party C. 9
Given that more than one candidate is elected in proportional RCV , it has its own process to determine who wins: 10
1. Before counting votes, determine the election threshold (the number of votes needed to win a seat in a multi-member district). The formula for determining the threshold is outlined below:
Threshold = (number of valid votes (number of seats + 1)) + 1 vote 11 In a three-seat district with 7,000 votes, the threshold would be 1751 votes, because:
(7,000 valid votes / (3 seats + 1)) + 1 vote =
(7,000/4) + 1=
1,750 + 1 = 1,751.
2. Just like single-winner RCV , citizens voting in multi-winner RCV elections rank can - didates based on their preferences. After the threshold is determined, first choices are counted.
a. If any candidate places at or over the threshold, they win one of the seats. Figure 8 shows that Candidate A earned enough votes to win one of the three seats. If this winning candidate earned more votes than the threshold, the surplus is di - vided among those voters’ second-choice candidates, as shown in Figure 9. This is done to avoid wasting the extra ballots favoring the winner. 12 The surplus votes allotment procedure is a sophisticated process. 13
8 | RANKED-CHOICE VOTING 101 2022
Figure 8: Figure 9:
b. If no candidate reaches the threshold, then the candidate receiving the fewest votes is eliminated, and their voters’ second choices transfer to the respective candidates. In Figure 10, candidate D is eliminated and votes transfer to their voters’ second choices.
Figure 10: Figure 11:
c. This process repeats until all seats are filled, shown in Figure 11.
These graphics show a sample proportional RCV election result. In this example, a total of 60 valid votes were cast for three available seats. Using the threshold formula, we can deter - mine that the threshold is 16 votes: (60 votes ÷ 3 seats + 1) + 1 = (60 ÷ 4) + 1 = 15 + 1 = 16.
The above visual aids show the threshold as 25% of 60 votes (15), with one final vote above that 25% line. After applying the counting procedure, Candidates A, B, and C all eventually reached the threshold and were elected to the three available seats.
9 | RANKED-CHOICE VOTING 101 2022
IMPLEMENTING RANKED-CHOICE VOTING
While RCV is authorized through legislation, a ballot initiative, or even through the courts, governments have to properly implement RCV in order to maintain public confidence in elec - tions and encourage voter turnout. For effective implementation, these are some of the major questions for election administrators to consider: 14
• What is your voter education plan?
• What sort of RCV ballots can your voting system design? Are there any ballot design requirements in law?
• Does your jurisdiction have RCV-ready voting systems? • How will you centralize ballot data for tabulation?
• How and when will results be tabulated?
• How will you display and publicize results?
• How will you address audits and recounts?
An effective ballot design does more than just abide by state requirements. Using multiple rows and columns (especially if many candidates are running for the same seat) and bolding or highlighting important information where allowed can make ballots much more under - standable to voters. More information about ballot design can be found at the Center for Civic Design.15 In terms of RCV readiness—how prepared a government is to implement RCV—it is necessary to assess the voter tabulation hardware used. After all of the votes have been counted, RCV elections are also audited and at times recounted. The gold standard for audits is undoubtedly risk-limiting audits (RLAs). Using simple statistics, RLAs require only a small sample of ballots and are extremely efficient, regardless of the election type. 16 To ensure accurate results in RCV elections, RCVRC produces RCTab, a free, open-source election tabulation software. RCTab is compatible with most major voting system vendors, and can compile election results from different vendors into a single result. 17 RCTab is cer- tified for use in RCV elections in New York and Utah. In 2020, the Democratic parties of Alaska, Kansas, and Wyoming used RCTab to count presidential primary ballots, accounting for hundreds of thousands of votes. 18 RCTab and its accompanying results visualizer, RCVis, are available as free downloads on RCVRC’s main website, and RCVis’ page. 19 10 | RANKED-CHOICE VOTING 101 2022
RANKED-CHOICE VOTING ON THE RISE
Only Maine and Alaska use RCV statewide, but RCV is much more common in local elec - tions, most notably in big cities like Minneapolis, Minnesota and San Francisco, California. 20 RCV is also sometimes used for overseas or military ballots in some state runoff elec - tions.21 Single-winner elections are more common, but Minneapolis; Arden, Delaware; and Cambridge, Massachusetts use proportional RCV . Three more cities are set to join their ranks in the coming months and in 2023. 22 RCV has also caught the attention of the federal govern - ment. The Fair Representation Act, if passed, would require RCV to be used in congressional elections, and establish proportional RCV in states with multiple House districts. 23 RCV is also included in the For the People Act, which would mandate the Comptroller General to study the effects RCV has on local elections, and provide insights for implementing RCV at the federal level. 24
Efforts to create and/or expand multi-member districts using proportional RCV , like the Fair Representation Act, highlight possible connections between proportional RCV and the im - pacts of partisan gerrymandering. When politicians gerrymander a district by splitting up politically like-minded neighborhoods, for example, winner-takes-all elections can deny these communities representation. 25 Utilizing multi-member districts and proportional RCV where possible (e.g., U.S. House and state legislature elections) may potentially dilute the nega - tive consequences of gerrymandering, and instead result in more accurate representation in government.26
Most commonly found at the local/municipal government levels, RCV sets itself apart from traditional plurality elections, requiring candidates to earn either a majority of votes or a population-based threshold to win, not just the most votes. By giving voters the ability to select multiple preferred candidates for a single seat, RCV may provide greater incentives for like-minded candidates to find common ground and reduce the likelihood of negative campaigning. Ranking multiple candidates may also encourage candidates from many back - grounds – especially women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals – to run for office. Of course, a change in election systems requires a combination of quality voter education, un - derstandable, easy-to-read ballot design, efficient ballot tabulation, and trustworthy election auditing. Voter education can greatly increase voter turnout in RCV elections; for example, the government of New York City led an RCV education campaign yielding widespread public support for the new election system, not to mention high turnout for a municipal election.
Meanwhile, using column, grid, and/or numbered/handwritten ballots, as demonstrated by organizations like FairVote and the Center for Civic Design, can also help contribute to voter understanding and turnout. Finally, after all ballots have been cast, using RCV-ready election hardware, risk-limiting audits (RLAs), and RCVRC’s own RCTab serve as efficient, transpar - ent ways to ensure that results are accurate. RCV is only becoming more and more popular in the United States—RCVRC continues to provide education and resources to ensure turnout and public confidence in elections remain high.
CONCLUSION
11 | RANKED-CHOICE VOTING 101 2022
RANKED-CHOICE VOTING FAQSRANKED-CHOICE VOTING FAQS
IS RCV EASY FOR VOTERS?
Similar to any other significant change in elections, transitioning to RCV requires a thorough explanation of the voting and counting processes. If municipalities manage comprehensive education and outreach campaigns, an RCV election has the potential to yield similar turnout results to that of a plurality election, and voters can gain a solid understanding of the election system. New York City’s local elections in 2021 are excellent examples of the positive impact of well-run RCV voter education programs. Thanks to dedicated efforts from groups like the New York City Board of Elections, the city’s Campaign Finance Board, and local advocates, 95% of voters demonstrated a basic understanding of the new ranked-choice voting system. 27 DO RCV ELECTIONS ACCURATELY REFLECT THE WILL OF THE VOTERS? Regardless of whether an election is single-winner or multi-winner, RCV races always count the voters’ first choices before moving to second and third choices. If a candidate earns a ma - jority (or, in proportional RCV , crosses the threshold) of first choices, they are automatically elected, guaranteeing the most popular candidate a victory. However, unlike plurality voting, Single-winner RCV races require candidates to earn a majority of votes to be declared a win - ner. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, it is very possible for candidates to receive less than 50% + 1 votes, and still win plurality elections. 28 This majority requirement may potentially result in more popular candidates winning races.
DO RCV BALLOTS HAVE A STANDARDIZED DESIGN?
When designing ballots, election administrators have to consider a wide variety of factors, including existing rules, election equipment, and the number of races on the ballot. The grid layout (Figure 1), however, is the best practice design, with candidates on rows and rank - ings on columns. 29 This visual, all-in-one format takes up less space on the ballot. It is also the most widely used RCV ballot format. 30 In some cases, like voting system software lim - itations or restrictive ballot design laws, it may not be possible to use a grid layout. In cases like these, the column-style RCV ballot can be a great alternative. Figure 12 shows a sample column-style ballot, which separates first, second, and third choices into their own individual columns. 31 As shown by Figure 13, a handwritten ballot can also be a straightforward op - tion, simply requiring voters to write a number next to a candidate’s name (“1” for their first choice, “2” for their second choice, etc.). 32 Voting systems used in the U.S. do not yet have the technology necessary to produce the ballot in figure 13, but it would be the most space-effi - cient design. Election administrators have to consider a wide variety of factors, including ex - isting rules, election equipment, and the number of races on the ballot. Jurisdictions may also find it helpful to conduct small focus groups or practice elections to see which style works for their voters.
12 | RANKED-CHOICE VOTING 101 2022
Figure 12:
Figure 13:
13 | RANKED-CHOICE VOTING 101 2022
WHAT EFFECT DOES RCV HAVE ON THIRD-PARTY AND/OR “SPOILER” CANDIDATES?
“Spoiler” candidates, often third-party candidates, earn this title because they have a similar ideology to one of the major candidates and voting for them may cost a major-party candidate valuable votes in a close election. Advocates for RCV argue that the system eliminates this “spoiler effect” and may encourage more third-party candidates to run for office. 33 By allow- ing voters to rank multiple candidates, as opposed to just selecting one in a plurality election, RCV may allow voters dissatisfied with the two-party system to vote their conscience instead of voting strategically.
DO MORE CANDIDATES RUN IN RCV ELECTIONS?
RCV supporters also claim that ending the spoiler effect encourages “candidates with a variety of backgrounds or ideas” to run. 34 RCV also lessens the need to consolidate support behind a progressive, centrist, or conservative frontrunner, and provides more opportunities for like-minded candidates to run and find common ground together. Doing so may increase civility in elections. 35 Ranking multiple candidates may encourage a wider array of political beliefs, which opens elections to candidates of many backgrounds—especially those from marginalized communities. 36
WHAT ARE THE MAIN ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST RCV?
Critics of the plurality system argue that results may not truly reflect the will of the voters.
Once again referring to the sample plurality election results shown in Figures 2 and 3, while candidates Graham and Gryder won with the most votes, a majority of voters (68.8% and
69.1%, respectively) preferred a different candidate. However, RCV requires candidates to earn a majority of votes to win the election, increasing the likelihood of elected officials more accu - rately representing their districts. Advocates also look to RCV as a potential way to counter the downsides of a two-party system, providing a more encouraging environment for third parties, women, and candidates of color. Finally, with candidates competing for multiple choices, RCV incentivizes positive campaigning. 37
Of course, the RCV election process can be more complex and difficult to understand than a plurality election. A lack of understanding may discourage voters from participating in the process and reduce their confidence in future elections. Perhaps the most serious hardship of RCV is that some forms, like block preferential voting, have the potential to limit minority representation. 38 A block preferential voting system allows voters to select multiple candi - dates, but the system is winner-takes-all; those who win represent the district at-large. 39 This poses a risk to voters in a minority, who may not be fully represented in their government should this election form go into effect. 40 To counter this threat, proportional RCV is a bet - ter alternative, awarding multiple elected seats commensurate with a population’s share of votes.41
14 | RANKED-CHOICE VOTING 101 2022
ENDNOTES
1. FairVote, Electoral Systems in the United States , https://www.fairvote.org/research_electoralsystemsus (last visited Aug. 11, 2022).
2. FairVote, RCV Ballot Design , https://www.fairvote.org/rcv_ballot_design (last visited Aug. 11, 2022).
3. Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, How It Works , https://www.rcvresources.org/how-it-works (last visited Aug. 11, 2022) [hereinafter Works].
4. N.Y. Times, North Carolina Seventh Congressional District Primary Election Results (May 18, 2022), https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/05/17/us/elections/results-north-carolina-us-house-dis - trict-7.html; N.Y. Times, Illinois 14th Congressional District Primary Election Results (July 12, 2022), https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/06/28/us/elections/results-illinois-us-house-district-14.html.
5. National Conference of State Legislatures, Ranked-Choice Voting (Jun. 11, 2022) https://www.ncsl.org/ research/elections-and-campaigns/ranked-choice-voting636934215.aspx#four [hereinafter NCSL].
6. Springville Mayor: Ranked Choice Voting Visualization , RCVis (Nov. 2, 2021) https://rcvis.com/v/21g_ sp_m_u4; Springville City Council (4-Year): Ranked Choice Voting Visualization, RCVis (Nov. 2, 2021) https://rcvis.com/v/21g_sp_cc4y_1_u4.
7. Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, Understanding Multi-Winner Ranked-Choice Voting (Feb. 27, 2018), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9PWS3iLneM.
8. Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, Single-Winner Vs. Multi-Winner RCV—When, Why, and How , https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nzSz3WkRXU29vpi40DUfQeq4vwor_bDG/edit (last visited Aug. 12, 2022).
9. In other forms of elections using ranked ballots, however, it is still possible for a majority to elect all seats in an at-large, multi-seat body, eliminating minority representation. Such an event has previous - ly occurred in multi-seat elections in Utah—“block-preferential voting” has greatly diluted minori - ty voices.(Jack Santucci & Benjamin Reilly, Utah’s New Kind of Ranked-Choice Voting could Hurt Political Minorities and Sometimes even the Majority, LSE Phelan US Centre, https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/ usappblog/2020/01/23/utahs-new-kind-of-ranked-choice-voting-could-hurt-political-minorities-and- sometimes-even-the-majority/ (last visited Aug. 15, 2022).)
10. Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, Types of RCV, https://www.rcvresources.org/types-of-rcv (last visited Aug. 11, 2022).
11. FairVote, Proportional Ranked Choice Voting Example , https://www.fairvote.org/multi_winner_rcv_ex - ample (last visited Aug. 11, 2022).
12. FairVote, How Proportional Representation Elections Work , https://www.fairvote.org/how_proportion - al_representation_elections_work (last visited Aug. 11, 2022).
13. Supra note 10; Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, In Practice: Cambridge, MA , https://www. rcvresources.org/in-practice-cambridge-ma (last visited Sep. 20, 2022); Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, In Practice: Minneapolis, MN , https://www.rcvresources.org/in-practice-minneapolis-mn (last visited Sep. 20, 2022); FairVote, Proportional Ranked Choice Voting , https://www.fairvote.org/ prcv#prcv_in_the_united_states (last visited Aug. 11, 2022) [hereinafter Proportional].
14. Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, Technical Questions for RCV Implementation , https://docs.goo - gle.com/document/d/1w8pmlJhD1Gb2wpbrpdhP-OkMPd1ih0ztvSspMZSsgss/edit (forthcoming Aug. 2022).
15. Center for Civic Design, Don’t Legislate Ballot Design (There’s a Better Way to Improve Ballots) , https:// civicdesign.org/dont-legislate-ballot-design-theres-a-better-way-to-improve-ballots/ (last visited Aug. 12, 2022); Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center & FairVote, Ranked-Choice Voting Ballot Usage Analysis and Design Recommendations , https://www.rcvresources.org/blog-post/ranked-choice-vot - ing-ballot-usage-analysis-and-design-recommendations (Sep. 19, 2022).
16. Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, RCV Maps (Multi-State Assessment Project) , https://www. rcvresources.org/state-assessments (last visited Aug. 12, 2022); Chris Hughes, Post-Election Audits and Ranked-Choice Voting , Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, https://www.rcvresources.org/blog-post/ post-election-audits-and-ranked-choice-voting, (Sep. 19, 2022).
17. Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, RCTab: The RCV Universal Tabulator , https://www.rcvresourc - es.org/rctab (last visited Aug. 11, 2022).
18. FairVote, Ranked Choice Voting in 2020 Primaries , https://www.fairvote.org/ 15 | RANKED-CHOICE VOTING 101 2022
19. RCVis, https://www.rcvis.com/index.html (last visited Aug. 11, 2022).
20. Aidan Calvelli, Nicholas Gladstone, Eoin Lyons, Ryan Miller, Sebastian Miller, Kelly Murphy, Emily Shah, & Greg Volynsky, Reporting the Results of Ranked-Choice Voting Elections: Successes and Pitfalls Across Forty-Six RCV Jurisdictions , Equal Democracy Project at Harvard Law School, https://www. rcvresources.org/blog-post/ranked-choice-voting-ballot-usage-analysis-and-design-recommendations, (Sep 19, 2022).
21. Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, Where It’s Used , https://www.rcvresources.org/where-its-used (last visited Aug. 11, 2022).
22. Proportional , supra note 13.
23. Id; Fair Representation Act, H.R. 3863, 117th Cong. (2021).
24. For the People Act, H.R. 1, 117th Cong. (2021).
25. Kyle Herman, How Ranked Choice Voting Can Curtail Gerrymandering , Rank the Vote (Dec. 9, 2021), https://rankthevote.us/how-ranked-choice-voting-can-curtail-gerrymanding/.
26. FairVote, The Fair Representation Act , https://www.fairvote.org/the_fair_representation_act_ hh7w4yf4ag7qk9_fvjtdfq (last visited Aug. 11, 2022); Tom Fleischman, Ranked Choice, Multimember Districts Blunts Gerrymandering , Cornell Chronicle (Sep. 23, 2021) https://news.cornell.edu/ stories/2021/09/ranked-choice-multimember-districts-blunts-gerrymandering.
27. N.Y.C. Bd. of Elections (@BOENYC), Twitter, https://twitter.com/BOENYC [https://perma.cc/427Q- K5NF] (last visited Aug 11, 2022); Katie Glueck, New York Mayor’s Race in Chaos After Elections Board Counts 135,000 Test Ballots , N.Y. Times (Nov. 4, 2021), https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/29/nyregion/ adams-garcia-wiley-mayor-ranked-choice.html [https://perma.cc/GS94-MVGP].
28. Isabel Gionnavetti, Ranked-Choice Voting: How Does It Work? , Common Cause (Aug. 2, 2019) https:// www.commoncause.org/democracy-wire/ranked-choice-voting-how-does-it-work/.
29. FairVote, RCV Ballot Design , https://www.fairvote.org/rcv_ballot_design (last visited Aug. 11, 2022).
30. Works, supra note 3.
31. Center for Civic Design, Recommendations for Introducing Ranked Choice Voting Ballots, (Jul. 2018), https://civicdesign.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Introducing-RCV-Ballots-18-0803-FNAL.pdf.
32. Id.
33. NCSL, supra note 5.
34. Rank the Vote, About Ranked Choice Voting , https://rankthevote.us/learn/ (last visited Aug. 11, 2022); Alan James Simmons, Manuel Gutierrez, & John E. Transue, Ranked-Choice Voting and the Potential for Improved Electoral Performance of Third-Party Candidates in America , 50 Am. Pol. Rsch. 366, available at https://journals-sagepub-com.proxyau.wrlc.org/doi/pdf/10.1177/1532673X211072388.
35. Todd Donovan, Caroline Tolbert, & Kellen Gracey, Campaign Civility under Preferential and Plurality Voting , 42 Elec. Stud. 157, available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/ S0261379416000299.
36. RepresentWomen, Ranked Choice Voting , https://www.representwomen.org/research_voting_re - forms#what_is_right_with_rcv (last visited Aug. 11, 2022); Barbara Rodriguez, How Ranked-Choice Voting Elevates Women and People of Color Seeking Office , 19th News (Jun. 17, 2021) https://19thnews. org/2021/06/how-ranked-choice-voting-elevates-women-and-people-of-color-seeking-office/.
37. FairVote, Benefits of Ranked Choice Voting , https://www.fairvote.org/rcvbenefits (last visited Aug. 11, 2022).
38. FairVote, Types of RCV for Multi-Seat Bodies , https://www.fairvote.org/types_of_rcv_for_multi_seat_ bodies (last visited Aug. 11, 2022). [hereinafter Multi-Seat].
39. Ballotpedia, Block Voting System , https://ballotpedia.org/Block_voting_system (last visited Aug. 11, 2022).
40. Multi-Seat , supra note 42.
41. FairVote, What Is Proportional RCV? , https://www.fairvote.org/what_is_prcv (last visited Aug. 11, 2022).
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RANKED CHOICE VOTING RESOURCE CENTER
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RCVRC Team
Rosemary F. Blizzard
Chris Hughes
Melissa Hall
Kelly Goss Sechrist
Ryan Kirby
Rene Rojas
Gary O. Bartlett
George Gilbert
Sam Prescott
Board of Directors
Chuck Winfree
Rebecca Chavez-Houck
Johnathan Moldover
Dr. Robert Montjoy
ELECTION ADMINISTRATION
RESOURCE CENTER
Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center | www.rcvresources.org 833-VOTERCV (868-3728) | [email protected]
Last updated March 2023
Voters' first choices are counted. In this example,
no candidate earned 50% of the vote.
Those ballots transfer to each voter's next choice
candidate. Candidate A is elected.
Candidate C has the fewest votes and is eliminated.
Single-Winner RCV
With ranked choice voting, voters mark their ballots in order of preference – 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, and so on.
When electing a single candidate — like Mayor — first choices How it works
are tallied. If a candidate wins a majority
of first-choices, that candidate wins. If
not, the candidate with the fewest first
choices is eliminated. The next choices
from those ballots are then added to the
remaining candidates. This process
continues until one candidate receives a
majority in the final round.
The example below shows how single
winner RCV tabulation works.
Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center | www.rcvresources.org 833-VOTERCV (868-3728) | [email protected]
Last updated March 2023
Reduce Negative Campaigning
RCV encourages candidates to create broad
coalitions and focus on the issues that matter
most to voters so that they can at least earn a
voter’s backup choice.
Avoid Weak Plurality Results
Voters can support candidates that match their
values and avoid spoiling a race. In races with
more than two candidates, the winning
candidate frequently receives less than 50% of
the vote. RCV helps show a clear mandate for
the winner by eliminating candidates and
transferring ballots until someone has a
majority.
Eliminate Costly Runoffs & Primaries
Some jurisdictions opt to eliminate runoff
elections or primaries and have voters show
up at the polls once during the general
election when turnout is highest. Holding one
election is easier and more cost-effective for
voters, candidates, and election officials.
Support Military & Overseas Voters
RCV is used by military and overseas voters in
Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana,
Mississippi, South Carolina, and Springfield,
Illinois. In the event of a runoff election with a
quick turnaround time, these voters have the
ability to rank candidates in the event their first
choice doesn’t advance to the runoff election.
Ranked Choice Voting is already
being used all across the country, in
a wide range of jurisdictions. As of
the 2022 elections, RCV has been
adopted in 62 jurisdictions. Some
prominent examples include:
Why Jurisdictions Adopt Single-Winner RCV
Where RCV Is Used
RCV has also been used to nominate candidates for a general election. It was used by 2020 Democratic primary voters in Alaska, Hawaii, Kansas, and Wyoming. Additionally, RCV was used by the Virginia Republican Party to select their nominees for statewide office and select congressional districts in 2021.
Alaska
Maine
New York City
Cambridge, MA
Minneapolis, MN
San Francisco, CA
Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center | www.rcvresources.org 833-VOTERCV (868-3728) | [email protected]
Last updated March 2023
Step 1: Candidate A has more votes than
needed to win.
Step 2: After transferring surplus votes from A, we still don't have all the seats filled. Candidate D is in last place.
Step 3: Candidate D was eliminated and their votes
transferred. Candidate B now has enough votes to win.
Step 4: After transferring the surplus from B, Candidate C is our third and final winner.
Proportional ranked choice voting is used for a multi-winner contest, such as city council, when more than one individual is elected at- large or for district elections with multiple representatives. The voter experience is the same as single-winner ranked choice voting, where voters rank their choices in order of preference. First choices are then counted to determine if any candidates have enough votes to win, also known as the threshold. The threshold is determined based on the number of seats to be filled.
For example, when electing three candidates the threshold would be 25% plus one vote.
That is the smallest number of votes that guarantees that no more candidates can reach the threshold than the number of seats available to be filled.
After the first round of counting, we can determine whether additional rounds of counting are needed to fill each seat up for election.
If a candidate wins with more votes than they need – a surplus – any extra votes are counted proportionally towards voters’ next choices.
If no candidate has a surplus, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and voters have their ballot count for their next viable preference.
Transferring surplus votes and eliminating candidates continues until all seats are filled.
Proportional RCV
How does it work?
Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center | www.rcvresources.org 833-VOTERCV (868-3728) | [email protected]
Last updated March 2023
Fair Representation
Communities have the opportunity to elect
representatives proportional to their
population. Proportional RCV has also been
used as a remedy to Voting Rights Act
violations to avoid vote dilution of protected
minority communities.
Better Districts
Proportional RCV supports both multi-
member districts and at-large offices. With
fewer districts to draw (or none with at-
large races) it is harder to draw districts
with a political bias.
Prevent Strategic Voting
Voters select their preferred candidate
without hurting others that they like. Plus,
voters aren’t punished for supporting
popular candidates. When a candidate
gets more votes than needed, those votes
are transferred proportionally to the
voters’ next choice.
Increased Diversity
In single-winner elections, a group needs a
majority to elect a candidate of choice.
Proportional RCV has a lower threshold for
election, allowing voters of different
demographic backgrounds greater
opportunity to be elected within their
community.
Why do Jurisdictions Adopt Proportional RCV?
Albany, California
Arden, Delaware
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Palm Desert, California
Where is Proportional
RCV used?
Sample PRCV Contest Ballot
EXHIBIT B
DEAN C. LOGAN
Registrar-Recorder /County Clerk
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
REGISTRAR-RECORDER/COUNTY CLERK
June 8, 2023
Kimberly Clark, City Clerk
City of Burbank
275 East Olive Avenue
Burbank, CA 91502
Dear Ms. Clark,
This is in response to your letter dated April 27, 2023, regarding Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), also known as "instant runoff voting". The Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk is constantly monitoring changes and innovations in the field of election administration. We are aware of the growing interest in RCV from legislators, city officials, and members of the public.
Currently, there is no statewide regulatory or legal authority for RCV. Under state law, charter cities and counties may adopt this method of voting through the adoption of a charter by a majority vote of its electors. Regulatory approval for RCV is specific to an eligible jurisdiction and the specific system that is being used. The use of RCV in a consolidated election will require coordination and collaboration to ensure the necessary regulatory and operational framework for implementation is in place.
The Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) voting model and systems that support it, were intentionally built on a platform with the architecture necessary to adapt to changes in technology, public policy, legislation, and voter behavior. Adapting, modifying, or enhancing the VSAP voting systems to allow for RCV, would require authority, time, and appropriate resources. Any changes to the voting system would be subject to testing and approval by the California Secretary of State for system certification.
If the City of Burbank were to adopt local authority for RCV and request the County to adapt or modify our voting system(s) to support RCV, that would require coordination, collaboration, and the resources/time referenced above. Some level of engagement among all regulatory and administrative agencies involved would need to occur to fully determine the feasibility, estimated costs, and time frame for undertaking such an initiative.
12400 IMPERIAL HIGHWAY, NORWALK, CA 90650 LAVOTE.GOV
EXHIBIT C
Kimberly Clark
June 8, 2023
I know RCV will likely continue to be a topic of conversation among stakeholders in the election community. Please don't hesitate to reach out to my office if there is any way we can participate in this dialogue.
If you have any questions, please contact Adrian Avelar, Executive Assistant at .
Sincerely,
o�'::�
Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
DCL:AA
(Email Address Redacted)