What Is Preference Voting

Preference Voting is a democratic voting system that allows each voter to indicate
first, second, or additional choices for an office in rank order on the ballot. For
example:

First choice: Candiate B
Second choice: Candidate C
Third choice: Candidate A

In the United States, the most common form of Preference Voting is Instant
Runoff Voting (IRV). Article II, section 16 of the Oregon Constitution states:

"Provision may be made by law for the voter's direct or indirect expression of his
first, second or additional choices among the candidates for any office."

Under Preference Voting (IRV), if any candidate receives a majority of first choice
votes (more than 50%), that candidate wins the election.

However, if no candidate wins a majority of first choice votes, the candidate with
the least votes is dropped and the results are recalculated using each voter's top
choice among the remaining candidates. (In effect, the votes for the dropped
candidate go to the next highest choice on each those voters' ballot.) This process
is repeated as many times as is needed until one of the candidates receives a
majority.

Preference Voting (IRV) was invented by British and American reformers in the
mid-19th century. It was adopted by Australia in the early 20th century and is still
used there, as well as in several other countries.

A new movement to institute Preference Voting (IRV) across the United States
began in the late 1990s, in large part because it would eliminate the "spoiler"
problem in which voters feel compelled to vote for someone other than their first
choice so that their vote is not "wasted."

Since then local jurisdictions in states including California, Florida, Maryland,
Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Vermont, and Washington have
voted to adopt Preference Voting (IRV), and San Franciso CA, Burlington VT, Cary
NC, and Hendersonville NC have implemented Preference Voting (IRV).

IRV-Lane County was founded by citizens of Lane County, Oregon, to establish
Preference Voting (IRV) here in our county as well.