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Mirror Newspapers Instant Runoff Voting (IRV)
Mock Election
Between January 15 and February 5, 2004, The Mirror Newspapers, which reach about 72,000 homes in several metro Detroit communities, ran a series of articles about Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) and Ferndale for Instant Runoff Voting (F-IRV).
In conjunction with the series of articles, The Mirror conducted a mock election in order to allow its readers to experience Instant Runoff Voting in action, as well as to give their feedback and thoughts about the system. They published an article desribing the results of the mock election on February 12, 2004.
Below is a more detailed description of the election process and the results.
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METHODOLOGY
- CANDIDATES: 6 ice cream flavors were listed on the ballot in the following order: Chocolate Chip, Cookies and Cream, Fudge Ripple, Orange Sherbet, Rocky Road, Superman. The flavors were selected in order to offer a wide variety, while also forcing voters to choose between several different types of chocolate-based ice cream.
This situation simulated well the the "splitting of the vote" that often occurs when relatively like-minded voters in a real election must make the difficult choice between a number of candidates sharing a basic philosophy or platform while still maintaining important differences. It highlights one of the benefits of Instant Runoff Voting, since Chocolate-lovers, for example, were allowed to rank their preferences among these choices rather than being faced with the often agonizing dilemma of choosing just one chocolate candidate.
- BALLOT INSTRUCTIONS: It was requested that only those 18 and older vote in this mock election. Voters were asked to rank their favorite ice cream flavors from their most favorite (1) to their least favorite (6). They were also asked for their home city and for any comments that they wished to add.
- BALLOT DISTRIBUTION AND COLLECTION: Ballots were distributed and votes collected via 4 avenues.
- NEWSPAPER BALLOT - The Mirror published the ballot along with its series of articles and 27 ballots were returned in hard copy form to the newspaper's office. These ballots represented the following cities (all cities are in Michigan unless otherwise noted):
(Berkley-1, Ferndale-10, Hamtramck-1, Roseville-1, Royal Oak-12, Warren-1, Westland-1)
- EMAIL BALLOT - The Mirror also allowed voters to email in their list of choices along with their city and any comments. 19 ballots were received by email representing the following cities:
(Berkley-1, Clawson-6, Ferndale-5, Huntington Woods-1, Royal Oak-5, No City Recorded-1)
- FERNDALE BLUES FESTIVAL - During Ferndale's Annual Blues Festival, held at a variety of bars and cafes throughout the city, Ferndale for Instant Runoff Voting members distributed and collected 172 ballots representing the following cities:
(Allen Park– 4, Berkley-12, Beverly Hills-1, Birmingham-1, Bloomfield Hills-3, Bloomfield Twp.-4, Brownstown-1, Canton-2, Charlottesville, VA-1, Chicago, IL-2, Clinton Twp.-2, Coldwater-1, Dearborn-1, Dearborn Heights-1, Detroit-9, Farmington Hills-1, Ferndale-17, Franklin-1, Harrison Twp.-1, Hazel Park-6, Huntington Woods-7, Ishpeming-1, Lake Orion-1, Lansing-1, Livonia-3, Macomb-1, Monroe-1, Northville-1, Novi-1, Oak Park-4, Okemos-1, Orion-1, Ortonville-1, Pleasant Ridge-1, Plymouth-1, Redford-2, Rochester-1, Rochester Hills-1, Romeo-1, Roseville-1, Royal Oak-14, St. Clair Shores-4, Shelby Twp.-2, Sterling Heights-3, Troy-6, Warren-1, West Bloomfield-6, Westland-1, Wolverine Lake-1, Wyandotte-1, Ypsilanti-1, No City Recorded-29)
- FEBRUARY 7, 2004 FERNDALE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS - During the Democratic caucus held at the Ferndale Public Library on February 7, 2004, Ferndale for Instant Runoff Voting members distributed literature about Instant Runoff Voting, as well as allowing voters to participate in The Mirror's mock election. 71 ballots were collected at the caucus site, representing the following cities:
(Ferndale- 56, Bloomfield Twp.–1, Beverly Hills–2, Royal Oak-1, Southfield–1, No city recorded-10)
SUMMARY OF BALLOTS
- TOTAL BALLOTS COLLECTED: 289
- TOTAL DISTRIBUTION OF BALLOTS BY CITY:
(Allen Park – 4, Berkley-14, Beverly Hills-3, Birmingham-1, Bloomfield Hills-3, Bloomfield Twp.-5, Brownstown-1, Canton-2, Charlottesville, VA-1, Chicago,IL-2, Clawson-6, Clinton Twp.-2, Coldwater-1, Dearborn-1, Dearborn Heights-1, Detroit-9, Farmington Hills-1, Ferndale-88, Franklin-1, Harrison Twp.-1, Hamtramck-1, Hazel Park-6, Huntington Woods-8, Ishpeming-1, Lake Orion-1, Lansing-1, Livonia-3, Macomb-1, Monroe-1, Northville-1, Novi-1, Oak Park-4, Okemos-1, Orion-1, Ortonville-1, Pleasant Ridge-1, Plymouth-1, Redford-2, Rochester-1, Rochester Hills-1, Romeo-1, Roseville-2, Royal Oak-32, St. Clair Shores-4, Shelby Twp.-2, Southfield-1, Sterling Heights-3, Troy-6, Warren-2, West Bloomfield-6, Westland-2, Wolverine Lake-1, Wyandotte-1, Ypsilanti-1, No City Recorded-40)
SUMMARY OF ELECTION RESULTS
All percentages rounded to one decimal. Thus, may not total exactly 100% in first round.
- ROUND 1 TALLY:
The round began with 289 ballots. 1 ballot was disqualified for ranking 2 candidates as first choices, leaving a total of 288 remaining eligible ballots, 99.7% of all ballots cast. All ballots cast were counted for the candidate ranked first.
| Candidate |
Votes |
Total remaining eligible ballots |
Percentage of remaining eligible ballots |
| Chocolate Chip |
75 |
288 |
26.0% |
| Cookies and Cream |
64 |
288 |
22.2% |
| Rocky Road |
41 |
288 |
14.2% |
| Superman |
34 |
288 |
11.8% |
| Fudge Ripple |
34 |
288 |
11.8% |
| Orange Sherbet |
33 |
288 |
11.5% |
| Coffee |
1 |
288 |
0.3% |
| Chocolate |
1 |
288 |
0.3% |
| Cookie Dough |
1 |
288 |
0.3% |
| Double Fudge Brownie |
1 |
288 |
0.3% |
| Heavenly Hash |
1 |
288 |
0.3% |
| Mint Chocolate Chip |
1 |
288 |
0.3% |
| Moose Tracks |
1 |
288 |
0.3% |
- ROUND 2 TALLY:
After counting all first-place votes, no candidate has a majority (50%+1) of the eligible remaining ballots. If we were using the usual plurality system used in American elections, Chocolate Chip would have won the election with only 26% of the vote. That means that we could have had a winner even though fully 74% of voters may have preferred another flavor. Luckily, we are using Instant Runoff Voting to ensure a majority winner.
Thus, all write-in candidates receiving one vote in the first round were eliminated. 3 of those ballots cast for write-ins ranked no other candidates, and were thus exhausted, bringing the total number of eligible ballots remaining to 285, 98.6% of all ballots cast. The other 4 ballots originally cast for a write-in candidate with just one vote were redistributed to their highest ranked candidate still remaining in the race.
| Candidate |
Votes |
Total remaining eligible ballots |
Percentage of remaining eligible ballots |
| Chocolate Chip |
75 |
285 |
26.3% |
| Cookies and Cream |
64 |
285 |
22.5% |
| Rocky Road |
42 |
285 |
14.7% |
| Superman |
35 |
285 |
12.3% |
| Fudge Ripple |
35 |
285 |
12.3% |
| Orange Sherbet |
34 |
285 |
11.9% |
- ROUND 3 TALLY:
After Round 2, still no candidate has a majority (50%+1) of the eligible remaining ballots. Orange Sherbet, having the least support in Round 2, was eliminated. One ballot ranked Orange Sherbet first, and ranked no other candidates, and was thus exhausted, bringing the total eligible remaining ballots to 284, 98.3% of all ballots cast. The other 33 ballots which counted in Round 2 for Orange Sherbet were redistributed to the highest ranked candidate still remaining in the race.
| Candidate |
Votes |
Total remaining eligible ballots |
Percentage of remaining eligible ballots |
| Chocolate Chip |
86 |
284 |
30.3% |
| Cookies and Cream |
74 |
284 |
26.1% |
| Rocky Road |
45 |
284 |
15.8% |
| Superman |
40 |
284 |
14.1% |
| Fudge Ripple |
39 |
284 |
13.7% |
- ROUND 4 TALLY:
After Round 3, still no candidate has a majority (50%+1) of the eligible remaining ballots. Fudge Ripple, having the least support in Round 3, was eliminated. One ballot ranked only Fudge Ripple and Orange Sherbet, which have both been eliminated, and was thus exhausted, bringing the total eligible remaining ballots to 283, 97.9% of all ballots cast. The other 38 ballots which counted in Round 3 for Fudge Ripple were redistributed to the highest ranked candidate still remaining in the race.
| Candidate |
Votes |
Total remaining eligible ballots |
Percentage of remaining eligible ballots |
| Chocolate Chip |
106 |
283 |
37.5% |
| Cookies and Cream |
81 |
283 |
28.6% |
| Rocky Road |
55 |
283 |
19.4% |
| Superman |
41 |
283 |
14.5% |
- ROUND 5 TALLY:
After Round 4, still no candidate has a majority (50%+1) of the eligible remaining ballots. Superman, having the least support in Round 4, was eliminated. One ballot ranked only Superman, while another ranked only Superman and Orange Sherbet, which have both been eliminated. Thus, 2 ballots were exhausted, bringing the total eligible remaining ballots to 281, 97.2% of all ballots cast. The other 39 ballots which counted in Round 4 for Superman were redistributed to the highest ranked candidate still remaining in the race.
| Candidate |
Votes |
Total remaining eligible ballots |
Percentage of remaining eligible ballots |
| Chocolate Chip |
117 |
281 |
41.6% |
| Cookies and Cream |
100 |
281 |
35.6% |
| Rocky Road |
64 |
281 |
22.8% |
- ROUND 6 TALLY:
After Round 5, still no candidate has a majority (50%+1) of the eligible remaining ballots. Rocky Road, having the least support in Round 5, was eliminated. One ballot ranked only Rocky Road; another ranked only Rocky Road with 1,2,3 written next to it; one ballot ranked only Orange Sherbet, Rocky Road, Fudge Ripple and Superman, which are all eliminated already; one ballot ranked only Orange Sherbet, Fudge Ripple, and Rocky Road, which are all eliminated already. Thus, 4 ballots were exhausted, bringing the total eligible remaining ballots to 277, 95.8% of all ballots cast. The other 60 ballots which counted in Round 5 for Rocky Road were redistributed to the highest ranked candidate still remaining in the race.
| Candidate |
Votes |
Total remaining eligible ballots |
Percentage of remaining eligible ballots |
| Chocolate Chip |
144 |
277 |
52.0% |
| Cookies and Cream |
133 |
277 |
48.0% |
WITH A 52.0% MAJORITY IN THE FINAL ROUND, CHOCOLATE CHIP IS THE WINNER!
ONLY ONE BALLOT WAS DISQUALIFIED, AND, EVEN WITH SIX CANDIDATES COMPETING, AND SIX RUNOFF ROUNDS, 95.8% OF ALL PARTICIPANTS HAD THEIR PREFERENCE EXPRESSED ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE VERY LAST ROUND!
DETAILED COUNTING PROCESS
It is important to note that, as discussed in the Final Analysis, while the counting process may seem complicated when displayed in great step-by-step detail, it is actually handled quite simply and quickly by voting software. Furthermore, when necessary, the process can be carried out by hand. This particular mock election, despite lasting a full six rounds, was actually tabulated by hand and written up in this report in a matter of just hours.
ROUND 1: We begin by sorting the ballots according to each voter's first choice. All ballots listing a first choice were counted, as long as there was only one first choice listed, and any ballot that had only an X next to one candidate was assumed to be a first-choice vote for that candidate. Voters were allowed to rank as few or as many candidates as they wished. Write-in ballots were accepted, and write-in candidates were assigned a rank by the voter in the same manner as all other candidates. Any ballot that contained only a write-in candidate was assumed to be a first-choice vote for that write-in candidate. One ballot had Rocky Road checked off with 1,2,3 written next to it. This ballot was counted only as a first choice ballot for Rocky Road.
The results of round 1 were as follows (percentages rounded to one decimal):
| Candidate |
Votes |
Total remaining eligible ballots |
Percentage of remaining eligible ballots |
| Chocolate Chip |
75 |
288 |
26.0% |
| Cookies and Cream |
64 |
288 |
22.2% |
| Rocky Road |
41 |
288 |
14.2% |
| Superman |
34 |
288 |
11.8% |
| Fudge Ripple |
34 |
288 |
11.8% |
| Orange Sherbet |
33 |
288 |
11.5% |
Several write-in candidates tied for the least first-place votes with 1.
| Candidate |
Votes |
Total remaining eligible ballots |
Percentage of remaining eligible ballots |
| Coffee |
1 |
288 |
0.3% |
| Chocolate |
1 |
288 |
0.3% |
| Cookie Dough |
1 |
288 |
0.3% |
| Double Fudge Brownie |
1 |
288 |
0.3% |
| Heavenly Hash |
1 |
288 |
0.3% |
| Mint Chocolate Chip |
1 |
288 |
0.3% |
| Moose Tracks |
1 |
288 |
0.3% |
1 ballot was eliminated in the first round because the voter put an X next to both Cookies and Cream and Orange Sherbet. Voters cannot rank two choices with the same ranking. This brings the total number of remaining qualified ballots to 288, 99.7% of all ballots cast.
With 288 eligible ballots in the first round, 145 votes are needed to attain a majority (50%+1 vote). The top vote-getter in the first round, Chocolate Chip, has only 75 votes. If we were using the usual plurality system used in most American elections, Chocolate Chip would have won the election with only 26% of the vote. That means that fully 74% of voters may have preferred another flavor over Chocolate Chip. But, since we are using Instant Runoff Voting to ensure a majority winner, and no flavor has a majority, we continue the counting with a second round.
ROUND 2: We begin round two by eliminating the candidate with the least first-place votes. Since 7 candidates tied with just 1 vote, various procedures can be used. In such a tie, often lots are drawn to determine which candidate to eliminate first. But, since all 7 candidates in this case have such low totals as to make winning the election mathematically impossible, we simply redistributed all 7 ballots towards their second choices.
3 of those ballots originally cast for one of the 7 write-in candidates ranked no second choice. These ballots were eliminated, bringing the total number of ballots remaining in the contest to 285, 98.6% of all ballots cast. The other 4 ballots ranked their second choices as follows:
- The voter who voted for Chocolate as number 1 ranked Orange Sherbet as number 2.
- The voter who voted for Coffee as number 1 ranked Superman as number 2.
- The voter who voted for Double Fudge Brownie as number 1 ranked Fudge Ripple as number 2.
- The voter who voted for Mint Chocolate Chip as number 1 ranked Rocky Road as number 2.
Redistributing these 4 ballots towards their respective second choices leaves a total of 285 ballots with the following results:
- Chocolate Chip-75 first-place votes + 0 second-place votes = 75 (26.3% of 285 remaining ballots)
- Cookies and Cream-64 first-place votes + 0 second-place votes = 64 (22.5% of 285 remaining ballots)
- Rocky Road-41 first-place votes + 1 second-place vote = 42 (14.7% of 285 remaining ballots)
- Superman-34 first-place votes + 1 second-place vote = 35 (12.3% of 285 remaining ballots)
- Fudge Ripple-34 first-place votes + 1 second-place vote = 35 (12.3% of 285 remaining ballots)
- Orange Sherbet-33 first-place votes + 1 second-place vote = 34 (11.9% of 285 remaining ballots)
As you can see, the flavor with the highest number of votes after redistribution of the second-choice votes and elimination of those exhausted ballots not ranking a second choice remains Chocolate Chip. However, Chocolate Chip still has only 26.3% of the vote, not nearly a majority. 73.7% of the ballots are still split among other choices. That means it is still possible that many more people prefer another flavor to Chocolate Chip. Therefore, we must continue on to a third round of counting.
ROUND 3: Since Orange Sherbet is the remaining flavor with the least total votes at 34, it is eliminated. Those who voted for Orange Sherbet now have their ballot redistributed to the highest ranked candidate on their ballot still remaining in the race.
1 ballot originally cast with a first-place vote for Orange Sherbet had no other rankings listed. This ballot was eliminated, bringing the total number of ballots to 284.
Another ballot listed only a first-place vote for Orange Sherbet and a 6 for Cookies and Cream. This ballot, in keeping with the process of counting each ballot for its highest ranked candidate still remaining in contention, was redistributed to Cookies and Cream. With this taken into account, the redistribution occurred as follows:
- Chocolate Chip received 10 second-choice votes from those originally voting for Orange Sherbet, as well as a third-choice vote from a voter who had originally voted for Chocolate as a write-in, and whose second-choice had been Orange Sherbet.
- Cookies and Cream received 9 second-choice votes from those originally voting for Orange Sherbet. It also received 1 sixth-place vote from a voter who ranked only Orange Sherbet as 1 and Cookies and Cream as 6.
- Fudge Ripple received 4 second-choice votes from those originally voting for Orange Sherbet.
- Rocky Road received 3 second-choice votes from those originally voting for Orange Sherbet.
- Superman received 5 second-choice votes from those originally voting for Orange Sherbet.
Redistributing these ballots towards their highest candidate remaining in the race leaves a total of 284 ballots, 98.3% of all ballots cast, with the following results:
- Chocolate Chip-75 first-place votes + 10 second-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters) + 1 third-place vote (from original chocolate voter who then voted for Orange Sherbet) = 86 (30.3% of 284 remaining ballots)
- Cookies and Cream-64 first-place votes + 9 second-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters) + 1 sixth-place vote (from an original Orange Sherbet voter who ranked only these two) = 74 (26.1% of 284 remaining ballots)
- Rocky Road-41 first-place votes + 1 second-place vote (from Mint Chocolate Chip voter) + 3 second-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters) = 45 (15.8% of 284 remaining ballots)
- Superman-34 first-place votes + 1 second-place vote (from Coffee voter) + 5 second-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters) = 40 (14.1% of 284 remaining ballots)
- Fudge Ripple-34 first-place votes + 1 second-place vote (from Double Fudge Brownie voter) + 4 second-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters) = 39 (13.7% of 284 remaining ballots)
So we now have five candidates remaining in the race, and the highest vote-getter is still Chocolate Chip with 86. Yet of the remaining 284 ballots, only 30.3% list Chocolate Chip highest of the remaining candidates. It does not have the 143 ballots needed for a majority (50% + 1). 198 ballots are split among Chocolate Chip's various opponenents, many more than have expressed preference for Chocolate Chip up to this point. So, to further clarify the will of those many voters split among other flavors besides the leader, Chocolate Chip, we must continue with a fourth round.
ROUND 4: Fudge Ripple has the lowest number of ballots on which it is the highest ranking candidate remaining, so those ballots are now all redistributed to their next highest ranked candidate still remaining in the race. The remaining candidates are:
- Chocolate Chip
- Cookies and Cream
- Rocky Road
- Superman
Of the 34 first-place voters for Fudge Ripple:
- 17 list Chocolate Chip as their second-choice
- 5 list Cookies and Cream as their second-choice
- 6 list Rocky Road as their second choice.
- 6 list Orange Sherbet as their second-choice.
Since Orange Sherbet is already eliminated, those Fudge Ripple voters who chose it second will now have their ballot cast for their third-choice candidate, the highest ranked candidate on their ballot that is still in contention. Of those 6 Fudge Ripple voters who ranked Orange Sherbet second:
- 1 ranked no other candidates besides Fudge Ripple and Orange Sherbet, which are both eliminated. This ballot is now eliminated bringing the total number of ballots remaining to 283.
- 1 ranked Chocolate Chip third
- 1 ranked Superman third
- 1 ranked Cookies and Cream third
- 2 ranked Rocky Road third
The voter who wrote in Double Fudge Brownie as a first choice and had ranked Fudge Ripple as a second choice, listed Chocolate Chip as a third choice. Since Double Fudge Brownie and Fudge Ripple are both longer in contention, this ballot is now counted for Chocolate Chip.
4 voters had ranked Orange Sherbet first and Fudge Ripple second. Since both are eliminated at this point, these ballots are all counted for their third choices as follows:
- 2 ranked Rocky Road third
- 1 ranked Chocolate Chip third
- 1 ranked Cookies and Cream third
Redistributing so that every ballot that ranks a candidate still in contention is counted for its highest-ranked contending candidate, we have 283 total qualified ballots, 97.9% of all ballots cast, remaining with the following results (percentages rounded to one decimal):
- Chocolate Chip-75 first-place votes + 10 second-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters) + 17 second-place votes (from Fudge Ripple voters) + 1 third-place vote (from original Chocolate voter who then voted for Orange Sherbet) + 1 third-place vote (from Fudge Ripple voter who then ranked Orange Sherbet) + 1 third-place vote (from Double Fudge Brownie voter who then ranked Fudge Ripple) + 1 third-place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter who then ranked Fudge Ripple) = 106 (37.5% of 283 remaining ballots)
- Cookies and Cream-64 first-place votes + 9 second-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters) + 5 second-place votes (from Fudge Ripple voters) + 1 third-place vote (from Fudge Ripple voter who then ranked Orange Sherbet) + 1 third-place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter who then ranked Fudge Ripple) + 1 sixth-place vote (from an original Orange Sherbet voter who ranked only these two) = 81 (28.6% of 283 remaining ballots)
- Rocky Road-41 first-place votes + 1 second-place vote (from Mint Chocolate Chip voter) + 3 second-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters) + 6 second-place votes (from Fudge Ripples voters) + 2 third-place votes (from Fudge Ripple voters who then ranked Orange Sherbet) + 2 third-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters who then ranked Fudge Ripple) = 55 (19.4% of 283 remaining ballots)
- Superman-34 first-place votes + 1 second-place vote (from Coffee voter) + 5 second-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters) + 1 third-place vote (from Fudge Ripple voter who then ranked Orange Sherbet) = 41 (14.5% of 283 remaining ballots)
Chocolate Chip and Cookies and Cream have emerged as the leaders, but still only 37.4% of remaining ballots rank Chocolate Chip as their highest candidate still in contention. Its 106 ballots fall far short of the 142 needed for a majority. We must continue with Round 5.
ROUND 5: Superman, with only 14.5% of qualified ballots ranking it as their highest candidate still in contention, is eliminated. So we are now down to three candidates:
- Chocolate Chip
- Cookies and Cream
- Rocky Road
34 voters had ranked Superman first. Of these:
- 5 rank Chocolate Chip second
- 8 rank Cookies and Cream second
- 3 rank Rocky Road second
- 1 ranked no other candidates besides Superman. This ballot is now exhausted bringing the remaining total of qualified ballots to 282.
Several Superman voters ranked their second choices for a candidate no longer in the race:
- 4 Superman voters ranked Fudge Ripple second. Of these, 1 ranked Chocolate Chip third. This ballot counts for Chocolate Chip in the next round, if necessary. The other 3 Superman voters that ranked Fudge ripple second ranked Orange Sherbet third. Orange Sherbet is also eliminated so we look at the fourth choices on these ballots, which have ranked 3 eliminated candidates 1, 2, and 3. All 3 of these ballots rank Cookies and Cream fourth, and are counted for Cookies and Cream in the next round, if necessary.
- 13 Superman voters ranked Orange Sherbet second. This is what we would expect, since Orange Sherbet was the only other non-chocolate flavor in the election. Since Orange Sherbet is already eliminated, we must look at the third choice on these ballots. Of those who ranked Superman 1 and Orange Sherbet 2nd, 3 rank Chocolate Chip third, 5 rank Cookies and Cream third, and 4 rank Rocky Road third. 1 ballot only ranked Superman 1 and Orange Sherbet 2 without ranking any further candidates. This ballot is now exhausted, bringing the total number of qualified ballots remaining to 281, 97.2% of all ballots cast.
There is one ballot that had originally voted for Coffee, and put Superman second. This ballot now goes to its third choice, Cookies and Cream.
5 original Orange Sherbet voters ranked Superman second. Of these, 1 ranks Chocolate Chip third, 1 ranks Rocky Road third, and 1 ranks Cookies and Cream third.
2 ballots rank Orange Sherbet first, Superman second and Fudge Ripple third. Since all three of those flavors are now eliminated, these ballots count for their fourth choice. One of these ballots ranks Chocolate Chip fourth and one ranks Cookies and Cream fourth.
1 ballot had ranked Fudge Ripple first, Orange Sherbet second and Superman third. As all three of these flavors are already eliminated, this ballot counts for its fourth choice, Rocky Road.
Redistributing so that every ballot that ranks a candidate still in contention is counted for its highest-ranked contending candidate, we have 281 total qualified ballots remaining with the following results (percentages rounded to one decimal):
- Chocolate Chip-75 first-place votes + 10 second-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters) + 17 second-place votes (from Fudge Ripple voters) + 5 second-place votes (from Superman voters) + 1 third-place vote (from original Chocolate voter who then voted for Orange Sherbet) + 1 third-place vote (from Fudge Ripple voter who then ranked Orange Sherbet) + 1 third-place vote (from Double Fudge Brownie voter who then ranked Fudge Ripple) + 1 third-place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter who then ranked Fudge Ripple) + 1 third-place vote (from Superman voter who then ranked Fudge Ripple) + 3 third-place votes (from Superman voters who ranked Orange Sherbet second) +1 third place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter that ranked Superman second) + 1 fourth-place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter that ranked Superman second and Fudge Ripple third) = 117 (41.6% of 281 remaining ballots)
- Cookies and Cream-64 first-place votes + 9 second-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters) + 5 second-place votes (from Fudge Ripple voters) + 8 second-place votes (from Superman voters) + 1 third-place vote (from Fudge Ripple voter who then ranked Orange Sherbet) + 1 third-place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter who then ranked Fudge Ripple) + 5 third-place votes (from Superman voters who ranked Orange Sherbet second) + 1 third-place vote (from Coffee voter who ranked Superman second) +1 third place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter that ranked Superman second) + 3 fourth-place votes (from Superman voters who ranked Fudge Ripple second and Orange Sherbet third) + 1 fourth-place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter that ranked Superman second and Fudge Ripple third) + 1 sixth-place vote (from an original Orange Sherbet voter who ranked only these two) = 100 (35.6% of 281 remaining ballots)
- Rocky Road-41 first-place votes + 1 second-place vote (from Mint Chocolate Chip voter) + 3 second-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters) + 6 second-place votes (from Fudge Ripples voters) + 3 second-place votes (from Superman voters) + 2 third-place votes (from Fudge Ripple voters who then ranked Orange Sherbet) + 2 third-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters who then ranked Fudge Ripple) + 4 third-place votes (from Superman voters who ranked Orange Sherbet second) +1 third place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter that ranked Superman second) + 1 fourth-place vote (from Fudge Ripple voter that ranked Orange Sherbet second and Superman third) = 64 (22.8% of 281 remaining ballots)
After five rounds, Chocolate Chip remains in the lead, but it still only has 41.6% of ballots ranking it as their highest remaining candidate. Only 6.0% separates it from its nearest challenger, Cookies and Cream. Rocky Road has 22.8% of the vote, and if enough of those voters prefer Cookies and Cream over Chocolate Chip, Cookies and Cream could still prove the most popular choice overall. In order to find out, we need to perform the final round, Round 6, which will take Rocky Road's ballots and determine how many of them prefer each of the last two remaining flavors - Chocolate Chip and Cookies and Cream.
ROUND 6: Rocky Road currently has 64 total ballots ranking it as their highest remaining candidate. We must take these 64 and redistribute them towards their highest remaining candidate.
41 ballots ranked Rocky Road first. Of these:
6 rank Chocolate Chip second.
9 rank Cookies and Cream second.
14 rank Fudge Ripple second. This is as we expect, since Fudge Ripple is arguably most similar to Rocky Road. It makes sense that Fudge Ripple voters would rank it second more often than they rank any other flavor second.
6 rank Orange Sherbet second.
4 rank Superman second.
2 ballots are now exhausted because one ranks only Rocky Road first without any other rankings, the other ranks Rocky Road first and says 1,2,3 next to it. Both ballots rank no other candidates still in contention and their exhaustion brings our total qualified ballots remaining down to 279.
Fudge Ripple is eliminated already, so we must look further down the ballots of those who voted for Rocky Road first and Fudge Ripple second. Of these:
- 4 rank Chocolate Chip third
- 6 rank Cookies and Cream third
- 1 ranks Superman third. Superman is already eliminated, so this ballot goes to its fourth choice, Chocolate Chip.
- 3 rank Orange Sherbet third. Orange Sherbet is already eliminated, so we continue down the ballot. 2 of these rank Cookies and Cream fourth. 1 of them ranks Superman fourth, which is already eliminated, so it counts for its fifth choice, Chocolate Chip.
Orange Sherbet is also eliminated already, so we must look further down the ballots of those who voted for Rocky Road first and Orange Sherbet second. Of these:
- 3 rank Chocolate Chip third
- 2 rank Cookies and Cream third
- 1 ranks Fudge Ripple third. Fudge Ripple is already eliminated, so this ballot goes to its fourth choice, Chocolate Chip.
Superman is also eliminated already, so we must look further down the ballots of those who voted for Rocky Road first and Superman second. Of these:
- 1 ranks Cookies and Cream third
- 1 ranks Fudge Ripple third. Fudge Ripple is already eliminated, so this ballot goes to its fourth choice, Cookies and Cream.
- 2 rank Orange Sherbet third. Orange Sherbet is already eliminated, so these ballots goes to their fourth choice. Both rank Fudge Ripple fourth, which is also already eliminated, so they each go to their fifth choice. One ranks Chocolate Chip fifth, and one ranks Cookies and Cream fifth.
1 ballot had ranked Mint Chocolate Chip first and Rocky Road second. This ballot ranks Orange Sherbet third, and Fudge Ripple fourth. So it counts for its fifth-choice, Chocolate Chip.
3 ballots had ranked Orange Sherbet first and Rocky Road second. 2 of these rank Chocolate Chip third and thus are counted for Chocolate Chip in this final round. The other ranks Fudge Ripple third, Superman fourth, and then does not rank either Chocolate Chip or Cookies and Cream. Hence it is exhausted and not counted in this final round and our total of qualified remaining ballots drops to 278.
6 ballots had ranked Fudge Ripple first and Rocky Road second. Of these:
- 2 rank Chocolate Chip third
- 2 rank Cookies and Cream third
- 2 rank Superman third. Since it is eliminated we continue down these ballots. 1 ranks Cookies and Cream fourth and thus counts for it in this final round. The other ranks Orange Sherbet fourth, which is already eliminated, so it counts for its fifth choice, Chocolate Chip.
2 ballots rank Fudge Ripple first, Orange Sherbet second, and Rocky Road third. 1 of these ranks Cookies and Cream fourth and thus counts for it in this final round. The other ranks Superman fourth, and hence counts for its fifth choice in this round, Cookies and Cream.
2 ballots rank Orange Sherbet first, Fudge Ripple second, and Rocky Road third. 1 of these ranks Cookies and Cream fourth and counts for it in this final round. The other does not rank any further candidates, and is thus exhausted, bringing the total remaining qualified ballots down to 277.
3 ballots rank Superman first, Rocky Road second. 1 of these ranks Chocolate Chip third and counts for it in this final round. One ranks Fudge Ripple third, and thus counts for its fourth choice Chocolate Chip. The last ranks Fudge Ripple third, also, and then ranks Orange Sherbet fourth, and hence is counted in this final round for its fifth choice, Cookies and Cream.
4 ballots ranked Superman first, Orange Sherbet second, and Rocky Road third. 2 of these rank Cookies and Cream fourth and thus count for it in this final round. The other 2 rank Fudge Ripple fourth, and both rank Chocolate Chip fifth, so these 2 count for Chocolate Chip in this final round.
1 ballot ranks Orange Sherbet first, Superman second, Rocky Road third. It ranks Fudge Ripple fourth, and so counts in this round for its fifth choice, Cookies and Cream.
1 ballot ranks Fudge Ripple first, Orange Sherbet second, Superman third, Rocky Road fourth, and hence counts in this round for its fifth choice, Cookies and Cream
Redistributing so that every ballot that ranks a candidate still in contention is counted for its highest-ranked contending candidate, we have 277 total qualified ballots, 95.8% of all ballots cast, remaining with the following results (percentages rounded to one decimal):
- Chocolate Chip-75 first-place votes + 10 second-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters) + 17 second-place votes (from Fudge Ripple voters) + 5 second-place votes (from Superman voters) + 6 second-place votes (from Rocky Road voters) + 1 third-place vote (from original Chocolate voter who then voted for Orange Sherbet) + 1 third-place vote (from Fudge Ripple voter who then ranked Orange Sherbet) + 1 third-place vote (from Double Fudge Brownie voter who then ranked Fudge Ripple) + 1 third-place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter who then ranked Fudge Ripple) + 1 third-place vote (from Superman voter who then ranked Fudge Ripple) + 3 third-place votes (from Superman voters who ranked Orange Sherbet second) +1 third place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter that ranked Superman second) + 4 third-place votes (from Rocky Road voters that ranked Fudge Ripple second) + 3 third-place votes (from Rocky Road voters that ranked Orange Sherbet second) + 2 third-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters who then ranked Rocky Road second) + 2 third-place votes (from Fudge Ripple voters that ranked Rocky Road second) + 1 third-place vote (from Superman voter who then ranked Rocky Road second) + 1 fourth-place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter that ranked Superman second and Fudge Ripple third) + 1 fourth-place vote (from Rocky Road voter that ranked Fudge Ripple second and Superman third) + 1 fourth-place vote (from Rocky Road voter that ranked Orange Sherbet second and Fudge Ripple third) + 1 fourth-place vote (from Superman voter that ranked Rocky Road second and Fudge Ripple third) + 1 fifth-place vote (from Rocky Road voter that ranked Fudge Ripple second, Orange Sherbet third, and Superman fourth) + 1 fifth-place vote (from Rocky Road voter that ranked Superman second, Orange Sherbet third, and Fudge Ripple fourth) + 1 fifth-place vote (from Mint Chocolate Chip voter that ranked Rocky Road second, Orange Sherbet third, and Fudge Ripple fourth) + 1 fifth-place vote (from Fudge Ripple voter that ranked Rocky Road second, Superman third, and Orange Sherbet fourth) + 2 fifth-place votes (from Superman voters that ranked Orange Sherbet second, Rocky Road third, and Fudge Ripple fourth) = 144 (52.0% of 277 remaining ballots)
- Cookies and Cream-64 first-place votes + 9 second-place votes (from Orange Sherbet voters) + 5 second-place votes (from Fudge Ripple voters) + 8 second-place votes (from Superman voters) + 9 second-place votes (from Rocky Road voters) + 1 third-place vote (from Fudge Ripple voter who then ranked Orange Sherbet) + 6 third-place votes (from Rocky Road voters that ranked Fudge Ripple second) + 1 third-place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter who then ranked Fudge Ripple) + 5 third-place votes (from Superman voters who ranked Orange Sherbet second) + 1 third-place vote (from Coffee voter who ranked Superman second) + 1 third place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter that ranked Superman second) + 2 third-place votes (from Rocky Road voters that ranked Orange Sherbet second) + 1 third-place vote (from Rocky Road voter who ranked Superman second) + 2 third-place votes (from Fudge Ripple voters that ranked Rocky Road second) + 3 fourth-place votes (from Superman voters who ranked Fudge Ripple second and Orange Sherbet third) + 1 fourth-place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter that ranked Superman second and Fudge Ripple third) + 1 fourth-place vote (from Fudge Ripple voter that ranked Orange Sherbet second and Rocky Road third) + 1 fourth-place vote (from Fudge Ripple voter that ranked Rocky Road second and Superman third) + 2 fourth-place votes (from Rocky Road voters that ranked Fudge Ripple second and Orange Sherbet third) + 1 fourth-place vote (from Rocky Road voter that ranked Superman second and Fudge Ripple third) + 1 fourth-place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter that ranked Fudge Ripple second and Rocky Road third) + 2 fourth-place vote (from Superman voter that ranked Orange Sherbet second and Rocky Road third) + 1 fifth-place vote (from Rocky Road voter that ranked Superman second, Orange Sherbet third, and Fudge Ripple fourth) + 1 fifth-place vote (from Fudge Ripple voter that ranked Orange Sherbet second, Rocky Road third, and Superman fourth) + 1 fifth-place vote (from Superman voter that ranked Rocky Road second, Fudge Ripple third, and Orange Sherbet fourth) + 1 fifth-place vote (from Orange Sherbet voter that ranked Superman second, Rocky Road third, and Fudge Ripple fourth) + 1 fifth-place vote (from Fudge Ripple voter that ranked Orange Sherbet second, Superman third, and Rocky Road fourth) + 1 sixth-place vote (from an original Orange Sherbet voter who ranked only these two) = 133 (48.0% of 277 remaining ballots)
FINALLY, WE SEE THAT CHOCOLATE CHIP IS THE WINNER WITH A 52% MAJORITY!
ONLY ONE BALLOT WAS DISQUALIFIED, AND, EVEN WITH SIX CANDIDATES COMPETING AND SIX RUNOFF ROUNDS, 95.8% OF ALL PARTICIPANTS HAD THEIR PREFERENCE EXPRESSED ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE VERY LAST ROUND!
VOTER MISUNDERSTANDINGS OR ERRORS
This mock election had an extremely low rate of errors, and was a great example of how easy the process of Instant Runoff Voting is for voters to use. They clearly found ranking the candidates to be a simple process. Only one ballot had to be disqualified, having ranked two first choices, a disqualification rate of only 0.3%.
While disqualifying errors were almost nonexistent, there were a few lessons learned about ways to make Instant Runoff Voting even simpler still for voters to use, by clearing up some of the most common small misconceptions displayed in the mock election process and giving even clearer instructions in future mock and real elections. We are confident that with continued education and experience, even these small misconceptions can be clarified, and Instant Runoff Voting's ease of use can be enhanced even beyond its current simplicity.
- "OH...I'M SUPPOSED TO RANK THEM!" - One of the most commonly seen phenomena in this mock election was a ballot with an X next to one of the candidates, a 1 written over or next to the X, and then the rest of the boxes filled in with further rankings. It is clear that many voters initially began to fill the ballot out from the mindset of a typical plurality election, in which they would have simply marked their top choice. However, it is also clear that nearly all of these voters quickly recognized the different system and went on to place a 1 over or next to their original X, and then continue to rank the other candidates.
This shows that the mock election helped people to become aware of the different system, and that they picked it up quite easily once exposed to it. Certainly, it will take voters a short time to break the habit of plurality voting, but with sustained education such as F-IRV plans to do all throughout the coming months, we are confident that they will become quickly comfortable and familiar with the ranking process of Instant Runoff Voting.
- "MY FAVORITE ISN'T ON HERE!" - Several voters wrote comments on their ballots stating or implying that they wished we had listed other flavors.
"I love Chocolate." - A Ferndale voter
"Chocolate is best!" - A Livonia voter
"Mint Cookies and Cream is the best." - A Berkley voter
"I really like Lemon Sorbet." - A Beverly Hills voter
"Mint Chocolate Chip is my favorite!" - A Macomb voter
"No butter pecans?" - A Ferndale voter
"I care not for the above flavors. However, thanks for presenting this exciting way of counting our votes." - A Royal Oak voter
Readers took an especially strong stance against our exclusion of Coffee flavored ice cream:
"What, no Coffee ice cream!?!? I'm going to have to get more involved in the primaries."
"Too bad my favorite flavor, Coffee, is not on the list!" - A Huntington Woods voter
Interestingly, the Ferndale voter who DID write in Coffee asked "Who picked these flavors?", while another Ferndale voter simply commented "Don't like ice cream that much."
Most voters were obviously unaware that they too could have written in Coffee, or any other flavor of their choice. Instant Runoff Voting is a full-choice voting system and its major intent is to increase voter choice and expression. Hence, the allowance of and process for indicating write-in candidates should have been explained in the ballot instructions.
Despite our failure to clearly communicate this allowance, 7 people nonetheless did properly write in candidates. All of these candidates counted as first-place votes in the first round. However, having only one vote each, they were all eliminated in the next round. In future mock elections, as well as in real elections, voters should be made aware more directly of how to indicate write-in votes if their favorite candidate is not listed on the ballot.
Thankfully, at least one Ferndale voter was seemingly pleased with our candidates, exclaiming "Just enough Chocolate, not too much."
- "DO I HAVE TO RANK THEM ALL?" - Of the 288 originally qualifying ballots, 277 were still qualified even in the last round, with only 11 being exhausted at any point in the process. That means that only 11 voters failed to rank fully six choices on their ballots. This is a good thing, in that it shows how Instant Runoff Voting enhances the voter's voice, allowing it to be heard all the way through the process. Indeed, 95.8% of voters participated in the election all the way through the final round of counting.
However, it is possible that this low rate of exhausted ballots represented a failure of communication. Perhaps voters were unaware that they did not have to rank all of the candidates, but were allowed to rank as few or as many as they chose. In fact, one voter from Ferndale commented:
"If I would not like #'s 5 and 6 to be included in a possible second count, would I have to vote for them? If not, remove them from my ballot."
This voter had ranked Chocolate Chip first, so his/her vote continued for the same candidate throughout. But, the voter raises a crucial point, especially relevant in a real election where a voter may seriously not wish to give a particular candidate even his last place vote. Such strong feelings were exemplified by the voter who ranked only five of the flavors and then wrote "NEVER" next to Superman flavor.
While it is a strength of Instant Runoff Voting that it allows broad participation throughout the process, our instructions might have been clearer about the ability to rank fewer choices if one chooses. Thus, our mock election may not have shown as clearly as possible one of Instant Runoff Voting's other strengths: the ability to express one's voice through NOT supporting certain candidates.
Most exhausted ballots do not represent errors, but rather conscious decisions to withhold support from disliked candidates. This is every bit as important as the voter's right to support preferred candidates. As mentioned, despite our lack of communication regarding the ability to partially complete the ballot, 11 voters did take advantage of this feature of Instant Runoff Voting.
- In Round 2, three write-in ballots had no other candidates ranked.
- In Round 3, one ballot ranked Orange Sherbet, which had been eliminated, and no other candidates.
- In Round 4, one ballot ranked only Fudge Ripple and Orange Sherbet, which had both been eliminated.
- In Round 5, one ballot ranked only Superman, which had been eliminated, while another ranked only Superman and Orange Sherbet, which had both been eliminated.
- In Round 6, one ballot ranked only the already eliminated Rocky Road; another ranked only Rocky Road with 1,2,3 written next to it; one ballot ranked only Orange Sherbet, Rocky Road, Fudge Ripple and Superman, which had all been eliminated already; one ballot ranked only Orange Sherbet, Fudge Ripple, and Rocky Road, which had also all been eliminated already.
As a result of their choices, these voters' ballots were not counted in these or subsequent rounds. At the same time, their votes never went to support any candidate that they truly disliked. Their voices were heard both through their votes and their lack of votes.
- "IS THIS HOW THE BALLOT LOOKS IN A REAL ELECTION?" - The ballot used in the Mirror mock election listed each candidate with a box next to it. Voters could simply write the numbers indicating their preferences in those boxes, and the ballots were then counted by hand. Obviously, in a real election, where a machine will be counting the votes, handwritten numbers would not be compatible.
A machine-run IRV election would use a different type of ballot (view sample ballot in PDF form), which would list each candidate along with a series of numbers from 1 to 6 (or as many as needed) next to each candidate. The voter would then go down column one and check his/her first choice, go down column two and check his/her second choice, and so on. The decision process would be identical, only the method of marking the ballot would be slightly different. Future mock elections will be held with a ballot more similar to that which Ferndale voters would most likely use in voting for mayor should IRV be implemented.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM PARTICIPANTS
- MAJOR PRAISE
- "I think it's a great process, especially for those who are having a hard time debating through certain issues with different candidates. Also adds strategy for the candidates through the process to ante up and let the process work for itself." - A Bloomfield Township voter
- "Thank you for doing this. It will be an interesting experiment. I have asked students in my class to participate as well, so you may be receiving a variety of ballots from [my class]." - A Ferndale voter and Political Science Assistant Professor.
- "There are a lot of people this year that are expressing the sentiment 'Anyone but Bush.' This will lead to people voting for the person they think will be most likely to win. It is also causing people to beg Nader not to run for president. IRV would allow people to vote for their first-choice candidates, but also prevent a spoiler by allowing voters to rank all the candidates. I think IRV would be a very positive change for our country. Thank you very much for featuring this subject in your newspaper." - A Berkley voter
- "This type of voting would be a fair way to elect the official that one truly wants in office. The vote you cast means something and has more weight than in the current system. I personally would feel that my first choice, though being the underdog, will not hurt the second best choice for office. This in turn will not hurt others and not help the chosen worst choice." - A Clawson voter
- "IRV, while it may seem odd, would allow democracy to flourish once again in our country. Big money controls our elections and IRV would correct this major fatal flaw in our system of government. Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin would most likely be pushing hard for IRV if they were alive today. Thanks Steve and Ken [Steve Stein and Ken Marten of the Mirror] for bringing this issue before the citizenry. Long live the MIRROR!" - A Royal Oak voter
- WORDS OF SUPPORT
- "Nice to have a chance to see how this works." - A Ferndale voter
- "I like it!" - A Detroit voter
- "Sounds like a great idea!" - A Huntington Woods voter
- "Thanks for bringing this issue up. I really like it!" - A Ferndale voter
- "Great idea!" - A Huntington Woods voter
- "I would love to see IRV become a reality. Thanks for publishing this article and for supporting this experiment." - A Royal Oak voter
- "I like it. I would vote for it." - A Ferndale voter
- "[F-IRV member] Tom Ness is a genius. Thanks for participating in this experiment." - A Royal Oak voter
- CONCERNS
- "Need to know much more including possible history of this type of voting." - A Royal Oak voter
REPLY: For more information, visit the Center for Voting and Democracy's page on The History of Instant Runoff Voting.
- "How can one ensure that there's no fraud using this system?" - A Berkley voter
- "Is this/will this be tamper proof?" - A Clawson voter
REPLY: It is our belief that Instant Runoff Voting holds no greater opportunity for fraud than current plurality elections. The only difference is in the number of candidates a voter checks off on the ballot. The rest of the voting procedure, from the polling site operations to the ballot collection process, can be exactly the same as in the current system.
- CRITIQUE
- "Flavors all suck. Young people below age 18 should be allowed this educational experience also. I still remember "mock voting' in grade school. It's probably what made me a faithful life-long voter." - A Ferndale voter
FINAL ANALYSIS
The Mirror's Instant Runoff Mock election was a great success. Nearly 300 people, from throughout Metro Detroit and elsewhere, participated directly in the election by ranking their favorite flavors of ice cream. In addition, promoting the process through the newspaper, as well as at Ferndale's Blues Festival and Democratic caucus, allowed many more to be exposed to conversations and information about the system. A great deal of positive feedback was gained, even as important concerns were raised and addressed regarding the use of this voting system.
Voters in the mock election were able to appreciate a number of the benefits associated with Instant Runoff Voting, such as:
- THE GUARANTEE OF A MAJORITY WINNER - In a plurality election, Chocolate Chip would have been declared the winner in the very first round, with only 26.0% demonstrated support. With Cookies and Cream barely trailing at 22.2% and over half of the votes split amongst several other candidates, this would clearly be a premature conclusion.
Chocolate Chip and Cookies and Cream both displayed a great deal of support and remained in a very tight race all the way through Round 4, when those who had ranked Fudge Ripple highly showed a greater alternative preference for Chocolate Chip. In later rounds, those ranking Superman and Rocky Road highly helped give a boost to Cookies and Cream through their later rankings, and Cookies and Cream nearly made up the difference.
Ultimately, Chocolate Chip pulled out the victory. But without the benefit of these several runoff rounds, we could never have been certain that it truly enjoyed majority support. With Instant Runoff Voting, we can be sure that most people will be relatively happy with the outcome of the election.
- SIMPLE TO USE - Only one ballot out of the original 289 was disqualified, a miniscule 0.3% error rate.
- ALLOWS FULL EXPRESSION - We saw how Instant Runoff Voting amplifies every voter's voice by allowing him/her to vote for - or NOT vote for - as few or as many candidates as he/she wishes through rankings and/or write-ins. We also saw how it enhances full expression by allowing almost every voter to have a say in every single round of voting. Even after four or five choices had been eliminated, over 95% of ballots were still being counted, conveying the preference of their voters' hearts and minds even in the sixth round.
- ALLOWS DIVERSITY OF CHOICE - In a plurality election, candidates are often discouraged from running out of fear of the "spoiler effect". However, as seen in this mock election, many candidates of diverse flavors can run freely in an Instant Runoff Voting system, without jeopardizing the fate of the candidate that is truly desired by the majority of voters. Chocolate lovers are free to split their votes among a number of Chocolate-based flavors, content in the knowledge that, if needed, their second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth rankings will prevent a non-Chocolate candidate from unfairly winning as a result. Similarly, those preferring non-Chocolate-based flavors were also free to split their votes among Orange Sherbet and Superman, without worrying that in doing so they would be benefitting the Chocolate-based tallies.
- ENCOURAGES PARTICIPATION - As evidenced by the level of actual voting, comments and feedback, and dialogue between participants and facilitators, many voters found the new system intriguing. This type of interest will play a crucial role in overcoming the apathy currently maintained by much of the electorate and increasing voter turnout.
- EASE OF TABULATION - We saw how the counting process works and that, even though it may look complicated, its intricacies are absolutely transparent to the voters who simply rank their choices. We observed that counting can be carried out by a handcount, while realizing that it can be done even more quickly and easily by voting software.
- ENABLES ACCURATE ASSESSMENT - In each round of voting, we obtain a true picture of how much support each candidate has among the electorate. Even if a given candidate didn't win, it was still enlightening to discover just how many people truly supported each flavor. Because Instant Runoff Voting frees voters from the need to vote strategically - to try to figure out who they think has the best chance to win - it allows them to more honestly declare their preferences based simply on which flavor they themselves like best.
Finally, the process helped us obtain valuable insight into ways to improve future mock elections, as well as real elections. Specifically, we learned the importance of giving clear instructions regarding all facets of the election process, including the use of write-in candidates and the freedom to leave some of the candidates unranked if so desired. We realized the educational benefits that will come by using ballots (view sample ballot in PDF form) more similar to those used in actual machine-based Instant Runoff Voting elections. Finally, we realized the importance of exposing the next generation - even those still too young to vote - to this new method in order to gain their interest early on.
In the end, most voters found Instant Runoff Voting to be a positive and simple system to use. Some voters certainly took a second to get used to it, but all of them picked it up very quickly and most gave extremely positive feedback. We envision this mock election as just one of countless educational campaigns to come that will all help reiterate the important principles of Instant Runoff Voting elections.
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