Problem: Most places in the United States use plurality elections where the candidate with the most votes is elected. This is fine when there are only two candidates in a race. When three or more candidates compete for an office, the winning candidate often receives less than fifty percent of the vote. This means that a majority of votes actually preferred someone other than the person who was elected. This violates the commonsense democratic principle that a candidate elected to a single winner office, such as mayor or governor, ought to be preferred by a majority of voters.

Solution: Under IRV, voters rank candidates in order of preference. If a candidate receives a majority of first choices, he or she is elected. If no candidate receives a majority, the candidate with the fewest first choices is eliminated. Voters who ranked the eliminated candidate first now have their ballots counted for their second choice. This process continues until one candidate earns a majority.

By ranking candidates, voters are able to express their true preferences without worrying about wasting their votes or spoiling the election and helping elect their least favorite candidate. For this reason alone, IRV often leads to higher turnout and stronger democracy. Candidates need to build a base of first choice support, but also reach out to the broader voting population in order to be acceptable to the majority.