Every political race requires strategy and calculated action. Each player decides how to best portray themselves to win the votes of their potential constituents. Some races have close competition while others have clear frontrunners. In Oakland, as well as over a dozen other cities across America, voters have opted for an unconventional election system. Instead of first eliminating candidates in a primary election, these cities operate in a Ranked Choice Voting System, also known as an “Instant Run Off.”
How does it work? Each voter selects their top three candidates for office, ranked 1 through 3. If one candidate obtains over 50 percent of the first-choice votes cast, they are the winner. However, if no one candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, the process of elimination begins. The candidate who received the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated and the votes cast for that candidate will be transferred to the voter’s next-ranked choice among the remaining candidates. This elimination process continues until one candidate receives the majority of votes.
This system produces second-ranked choice winners and changes the political game. Jean Quan, for example, won her first bid for Oakland Mayor four years ago despite finishing second in first-place votes she won only after the tallies of lower raking candidates were redistributed. Thus, candidates must not only appeal to their own supporters for a vote, but also appeal to their competitor’s supporters for a second-ranked or third-ranked vote.
A frontrunner in Oakland’s Mayoral Election, Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, has been most candid about this system, publicly appealing to voters by saying, “For anyone who is supporting another candidate, I’m asking to be their second choice.”
Some argue that this muddles the election; candidates are less likely to come out with strong direct opinions about issues as to not alienate their competitors’ voters. In addition, as is the case in Oakland this November, a larger array of candidates makes deciding on a preferred candidate more difficult. In recent mayoral debates in Oakland, individuals have complained that the largest challenge is to remember the distinctions between candidates. As a result, this system tends to favor incumbents due to the higher than average benefit of name recognition and the vote-split among a larger number of candidates.
Still, others argue that the ranked voting system allows for individuals, who in other systems may not have the funding or political means to make it onto a ballot, a chance to appeal to voters with original ideas. In addition, the larger quantity of candidates encourages individuals to reach out to voters in person and appeal to them directly, as campaign ads and flyers can be lost in the crowd.
This November, Oakland’s 15 mayoral candidates compete in the election to be ranked in the voter’s top three.
For more information about ranked choice voting in Alameda County visit: http://www.acgov.org/rov/rcv/faq.htm