Frequently Asked Questions

Ranked Choice Voting eliminates expensive, low-turnout municipal primaries and makes our local elections more inclusive and representative.

• Prior to Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), any time there were more than two candidates in a race, Bloomington would hold city primaries in August where only 5-10% of voters would decide the top two candidates the rest of the city could consider in the November general election. Since 2009, all of Bloomington’s municipal elections have required an August primary (until RCV was implemented). Primaries cost the city about $100,000 each.

• Ranked Choice Voting eliminated the high-cost, low-turnout primary and combined these two elections into one election in November, when turnout is higher and more representative of the community. 

• RCV saves time and money for candidates, voters and the city. 

• Since candidates don’t have to worry about overcoming an unrepresentative August primary, RCV encourages more candidates to run and gives voters more choice at the ballot box.

Bloomington’s first two elections using Ranked Choice Voting in 2021 and 2023 were very successful:

• Higher voter turnout compared to similar elections (i.e., comparing mayoral elections before and after adopting RCV).

• More candidate choices on the November ballot spanning the political spectrum.

• More Cost-Effective - Taxpayers saved the cost of holding an expensive, low-turnout primary. Each municipal primary cost taxpayers $100,000, and only 5-10% of voters would participate.

• Most voters rank - In the races that went to a runoff, 93-98% of voters ranked their ballots.

• Voters like it - According to 2021 election day polling the first time Bloomington used RCV, 77% found RCV simple to use, including 83% of voters of color; and 61% wanted to continue to use RCV, including 70% of voters of color.

• The valid ballot rate was 99.9%. 

Ranked Choice Voting improves and strengthens our local democracy.

Ranked Choice Voting:

• Gives voters greater voice, choice and power

• Incentivizes candidates to talk to more voters and focus on issues a majority of voters care about 

• Ensures winners have a majority of voter support

• Reduces political division and extremism

• Fosters more civil campaigns and a more responsive government

• Promotes more inclusive, diverse and representative elections

• Eliminates the spoiler problem and wasted votes

• In local elections, eliminates the costly low-turnout primary and combines the primary and general elections into one election in November when turnout is higher and more representative of the community

Prior to the adoption of Ranked Choice Voting, Bloomington held city primaries in August where on average only 5-10% of voters showed up and decided the top two candidates the rest of the city could consider in the November general election. 

In 2020, seeking to change a system that discouraged so many voters from participating, a group of Bloomington residents organized to bring Ranked Choice Voting to Bloomington, and the city council voted to place the question on the ballot. In November 2020, a high turnout presidential election, a majority of Bloomington voters approved of ranked choice voting for mayor and city council elections. The first two Bloomington city elections using Ranked Choice Voting in 2021 and 2023 were very successful.

Bloomington’s first two elections using Ranked Choice Voting in 2021 and 2023 were very successful:

• Higher voter turnout compared to similar elections (i.e., comparing mayoral elections before and after adopting RCV).

• More candidate choices on the November ballot spanning the political spectrum.

• More Cost-Effective - Taxpayers saved the cost of holding an expensive, low-turnout primary. Each municipal primary cost taxpayers $100,000, and only 5-10% of voters would participate.

• Most voters rank - In the races that went to a runoff, 93-98% of voters ranked their ballots.

• Voters like it - According to 2021 election day polling the first time Bloomington used RCV, 77% found RCV simple to use, including 83% of voters of color; and 61% wanted to continue to use RCV, including 70% of voters of color.

• The valid ballot rate was 99.9%. 

In Bloomington’s first two Ranked Choice Voting elections in 2021 and 2023, voter turnout increased compared to similar elections (i.e., mayoral elections before and after implementing RCV).

In addition to general election turnout, Ranked Choice Voting automatically increases voter participation by eliminating the low-turnout primary and allowing voters to consider the full slate of candidates in the general election when turnout is higher and more representative. Having one decisive election in November encourages more candidates to engage with more voters over a longer period of time, and allows more people to fully participate in the entire election process. Plus, voters have to show up at the polls only once, which is easier and less expensive for everyone.

Yes. Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) saves Bloomington taxpayers the cost of conducting low-turnout primaries, which cost $100,000 each. Because voters are able to rank candidates, RCV eliminates the need for the primary. Since 2009, all of Bloomington’s municipal elections (until RCV) have required an August primary, and, without RCV, the last two municipal elections –– 2021 2023 –– had multi-candidate races that would have required city primaries.

While there are some costs to educate voters about RCV, those costs do not exceed the savings from eliminating the primary and those costs will decrease over time as more voters gain experience using the system. Indeed, according to the Bloomington City Clerk’s office, in 2021, the first year Bloomington used RCV, the city spent $25,000 on voter education and a one-time hand count of ballots. Costs have decreased substantially since then, the city will not be performing hand counts going forward.

In Bloomington’s first Ranked Choice Voting election in 2021, there were 11 candidates running for 3 offices. And in 2023, there were 7 candidates running for 3 seats.

Ranked Choice Voting eliminated the need for a city primary in August, which often deters good candidates from running because it is expensive to run both a primary and general election campaign, and difficult for new candidates without name recognition to campaign for a summer primary where only 5-10% of voters participate.

Ranked Choice Voting levels the playing field for candidates by eliminating the primary. All candidates are on the ballot in November, giving new candidates more time to campaign and allowing a broader, more representative electorate the chance to weigh in. Voters can pick their favorite candidate, knowing that their second choice will count if their first choice doesn’t have enough support to win. By eliminating the spoiler problem, RCV allows more candidates to run without fear of being a spoiler or a wasted vote.

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) reduces political division and extremism by changing the incentives for candidates and elected officials. Under Ranked Choice Voting, candidates need to earn a majority (more than 50%) of voter support in order to win, which means focusing on issues most voters care about and earning second-choice votes from opponents’ supporters. 

Dividing and attacking may be an effective strategy under the traditional system when there are only two candidates and you convince enough voters that your opponent is contemptible. In those situations, candidates can win votes by driving up opponents’ negatives, thereby persuading voters to vote against the opponent instead of for the candidate. 

In contrast, RCV incentivizes candidates to campaign positively on ideas and positions that matter to voters. Since candidates are motivated to secure second-choice votes from their opponent’s supporters, RCV:

• Rewards candidates who appeal to a broad base of voters

• Reduces the incentive for candidates to attack their opponents and promotes more civil, issue-oriented campaigns

• Fosters coalition-building and compromise

Candidates behave differently knowing that being someone’s second choice is a tangible benefit. Once in office, a winner who has built a broad coalition of support can more easily reach beyond their base to forge compromises and problem-solve the critical issues facing their communities. In an era of hyper-partisanship and divisive politics, RCV is a key response to our nation’s growing polarization. 

Research comparing ranked-choice and plurality elections confirms RCV’s positive impact on civility. Polling by Edison Research following RCV elections in Minnesota shows that voters believe the campaigns have been civil. While some candidates may try negative campaign tactics in ranked-choice elections, it’s not a successful strategy under RCV and often backfires.

Ranked Choice Voting helps break through political gridlock and fosters a more responsive government. Because candidates need to earn a majority of voter support in order to win, they are accountable to more voters. A more broadly accountable candidate makes for a more responsive officeholder and can lead to better outcomes for the city. Elected officials are incentivized to listen to all the voters in their district, not just the fraction of voters that tend to show up in August primaries.

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is simple, and 2021 election day polling by Edison Research confirms that Bloomington voters understand how to use it:

• 77% found RCV simple to use, including 83% of voters of color

• 61% like and want to continue using RCV, including 70% of voters of color

This is consistent with extensive polling of voters who use Ranked Choice Voting. In elections with three or more candidates, voters simply rank their choices instead of voting for just one candidate. RCV makes voting simpler by asking voters to come out once and eliminating the need to be “strategic” with their vote. In fact, the valid ballot rate in Bloomington’s first two RCV elections was 99.9%, and 93-98% of voters ranked their ballots in the races that went to runoffs, demonstrating high levels of voter confidence and proficiency in ranking their ballots.

Yes. In 2009, the Minnesota State Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Ranked Choice Voting is constitutional: “Every voter has the same opportunity to rank candidates when she casts her ballot, and in each round every voter's vote carries the same value.” Minnesota Voters Alliance v. FairVote Minnesota, June 11, 2009. Federal courts have also ruled that RCV meets all tests under the U.S. Constitution.

No. Voters have the power to rank candidates, but their vote only counts for one candidate in the final round of counting. Every voter gets an equal vote. In each round of counting, your ballot counts as one vote for your highest-ranked candidate still in the running. If your favorite candidate has been eliminated – just as in a traditional primary election – your choice is limited to one of the remaining candidates, and under Ranked Choice Voting, your vote automatically counts for your next choice on the ballot.

Yes, your vote counts for your first-choice candidate and remains with that candidate if they are eliminated and you did not mark a second choice, just like if you vote for a losing candidate in any election. 

How far you wish to rank is your choice. Ranking just one candidate is like voting for your first choice in a primary and you choose not to vote in the general election if that candidate doesn’t make it through the primary. It is up to the voter how many candidates they wish to express support for. 

If you do choose to mark a second-choice on your ballot, your vote would transfer to your second-choice candidate if your first choice is eliminated. This is the power of ranking the candidates if you have a preference beyond a first choice. (Like in non-RCV elections, if your first-choice candidate doesn’t make it through the primary and you vote for your second-choice candidate in the general election; RCV simply combines the two rounds of voting into a single ballot in November when more people turn out to vote and can weigh in on the entire slate of candidates.) 

In Bloomington’s two RCV elections so far, most Bloomington voters rank – in the races that went to a runoff, 93-98% of voters ranked their ballots.

Note that each round of tabulation is fully documented and posted on the Bloomington Election Results website, so the public is able to see how many first-choice votes each candidate received, as well as how many votes transferred to second and third choices in the runoff process.

Prior to implementing Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), all of the municipal elections since 2009 have required an August primary, and, without RCV, the last two municipal elections –– 2021 and 2023 –– had multi-candidate races that would have required city primaries.

Yes. In a Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) election for a single race, it is always the case that the winner receives a majority of ballots cast (50%+1) in the final round. 

While some voters don’t rank beyond a first-choice, that simply indicates those voters did not have a preference between the remaining candidates. If they had a preference, they could have ranked them. Choosing only a first-choice candidate is like voting in a primary election for your favorite candidate, and then if that candidate gets eliminated in the primary, not voting for one of the remaining candidates in the general election. RCV simply rolls the two elections into a single ballot in the November election when more people are voting.

In the two RCV elections in Bloomington so far, of the races that went to a runoff, 93-98% of voters ranked beyond a first-choice.

No, but it can happen and the point of doing any type of runoff, either a primary and general election, or an instant runoff through ranked choice voting, is to determine the will of the majority of voters. 

In a traditional two-step primary-general election system, the second-place finisher in a primary election can go on and win the general election (e.g., in the 2019 Bloomington mayoral election before RCV was adopted, Tim Busse was the second-place finisher in the primary, but went on to win the general election). It doesn’t happen often, but it can happen in highly competitive races that have multiple candidates with similar platforms/views. The same is true with RCV – the second place finisher in the first round can go on and win the majority of votes in the instant runoff process. 

In Bloomington’s two elections so far using RCV, all of the winning candidates had the most first-choice votes.

To date, of the 45 Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) elections in Minnesota in which winners were decided in a runoff (with second- or third-choice votes), the second-place finisher won in only two of those elections. 

Twenty-eight percent (45 of 162) of all races using RCV in Minnesota have been decided with second or third-choice votes, and that outcome is accomplished in a single cost-effective, high-turnout election. For the vast majority of elections that are decided without the need for more than one round of tabulation, no money is wasted on an unnecessary primary.

Voters support Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), winning on the ballot in Bloomington in the 2020 high-turnout presidential election. For the growing list of supporters on the Vote No on Repeal Campaign, see rcvbloomington.org/supporters.

RCV is supported by a wide range of Minnesota political, business, community, and philanthropic leaders, media publications and civic organizations, including the League of Women Voters Minnesota and the DFL, Independent, Green, and Libertarian parties. 

The Star Tribune, Sun Sailor and Current and ECM papers, and Rochester Post Bulletin have editorialized in favor of RCV, as have a number of papers across the country, including the New York Times and Washington Post. 

A growing number of national political scientists and business professors are championing RCV as a top reform to address our nation's growing polarization, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Stanford Professor Larry Diamond, and Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter, to name a few.

While we can’t speculate on the motives of opponents of Ranked Choice Voting, we do know they want to bring back a low-turnout primary in which only 5-10% of voters narrow down the field of candidates for the rest of the voters to choose from in November. The leaders of the effort are the same people who opposed RCV in 2020 when it originally passed; they did not like the election outcome, so they collected enough signatures to force Bloomington voters to vote on it again this year.

No. While the Humphrey School website links to a paper on Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), the paper represents the individual views and conclusions of the authors –– a graduate student and Professor Larry Jacobs, a longtime RCV opponent –– and does not represent the views or independent research of the Humphrey School. Contrary to claims made by opponents of RCV in Bloomington, it is not a “study,” by the Humphrey School or the authors. This paper has neither been published by an academic journal, nor peer-reviewed, and moreover, sets forth a cursory review of what turns out to be outdated and misinterpreted research on RCV. See: Here’s the Evidence Supporting Ranked Choice Voting.

Also read University of Minnesota Political Science Professor Michael Minta’s letter to the editor last year when Minnetonka voters had an RCV repeal question on their ballot.  

The movement to bring Ranked Choice Voting to Bloomington was started by a group of Bloomington residents who wanted to make our local elections more inclusive, efficient and representative. They partnered with FairVote Minnesota, a nonpartisan, nonprofit that educates and advocates for Ranked Choice Voting. Funding for the effort came from Bloomington residents, as well as democracy friends from across Minnesota. Resources from state and national democracy foundations provided additional support. All of the sources of funding for the campaign to bring RCV to Bloomington were disclosed in a campaign finance report, completely transparent and not “dark money.”

Moreover, while the ballot measure to bring RCV to Bloomigton did take place in 2020 during the pandemic, voter turnout was extremely high in that presidential election year, and a majority of Bloomington voters said yes to RCV.  

Ranked choice voting (RCV) is a simple change to the ballot that empowers voters to rank candidates in order of preference (e.g., first choice, second choice, third choice) and ensures winners with a majority in a single, decisive and cost-effective election. RCV eliminates the need for high-cost, low-turnout municipal primary elections, saves the expense of those primaries and allows more candidates to run and voters to participate in a single, decisive election in November, when turnout is higher and more representative of the community. It gives voters more choice and power at the ballot box and, since candidates benefit by earning second-choice votes from their opponent’s supporters, it encourages candidates to focus on the issues rather than personal attacks and can help heal our political divisions.

With Ranked Choice Voting, voters cast a single ballot, ranking the candidates in their order of preference (e.g., first choice, second choice, third choice). If a candidate receives a majority (more than 50%) of first-choice votes, that candidate wins. If no candidate has a majority, then the last-place candidate is eliminated, and the voters who chose that candidate have their vote count for their second choice. This process continues until one candidate reaches a majority and wins. It works like a traditional runoff but occurs in a single, less expensive, higher turnout election in November. See details here.

Ranked Choice Voting

• Gives voters greater voice, choice and power

• Incentivizes candidates to reach voters outside their base and build broad coalitions of voter support 

• Ensures winners have a majority of voter support

• Reduces political division and extremism

• Fosters more civil campaigns and a more responsive government

• Promotes more inclusive, diverse and representative elections

• Eliminates the spoiler problem and wasted votes

• In local elections, eliminates the costly low-turnout primary and combines the primary and general elections into one election in November when turnout is higher and more representative of the community

For full a discussion of benefits see: https://www.fairvotemn.org/why/

More than 50 jurisdictions across the country use Ranked Choice Voting, including five cities in Minnesota as well as the states of Maine and Alaska, and even more jurisdictions will be using it in the next few years. Military and overseas voters cast RCV ballots for federal runoff elections in six states. 

Here in Minnesota, RCV is used in Bloomington, Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Minneapolis and St. Paul. Many other cities, school boards, and counties want to adopt Ranked Choice Voting, but need state legislation to do so.

RCV is also used in democracies around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Malta, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and in the city of London, England. Elected officials in India, Nepal and Pakistan use the multi-winner form of RCV to select their national senates and in India, its president.

See full list of places that use RCV here.

In 2004, the League of Women Voters Minnesota conducted an exhaustive, two-year study of voting systems and reached a consensus that endorsed Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) as an option for local and state elections in Minnesota. 

In 2006, FairVote Minnesota, with the support of the League of Women Voters Minneapolis and former Minneapolis Mayor Don Frazer, led a grassroots campaign to adopt RCV in Minneapolis that was approved by a 2-to-1 margin at the ballot box. St. Paul voters adopted Ranked Choice Voting in 2009 following the Minnesota Supreme Court ruling that RCV is constitutional. St. Louis Park adopted RCV in 2018, followed by Minnetonka and Bloomington in 2020.

Currently, only 13 cities in Minnesota are able to consider using RCV for their local elections because they have their own charters (which is like a city constitution) and conduct their elections in odd years. State legislation would need to pass for all cities to be able to have the choice (legislation is currently being considered).

Under the previous system, many aspiring candidates were discouraged from running because it was expensive to run both a primary and general election campaign or they worried that the primary electorate (5-10% of Bloomington voters), which isn’t representative of the community as a whole, could be less receptive to their candidacy.

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) levels the playing field for candidates. All candidates are on the ballot in November, giving new candidates more time to campaign and allowing a broader, more representative electorate the chance to weigh in. Voters can express their true preference knowing that their second choice will count if their first choice doesn’t continue in the runoff. By eliminating the spoiler problem, RCV allows more candidates to run without fear of being a “wasted vote.”

Research comparing election results across the country shows Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is a significant benefit to women and candidates of color. Women and people of color are much more likely to run and win in higher numbers in RCV elections. 

RCV gives greater opportunity to women and people of color by opening the process to more candidates and new voices, incentivizing positive campaigns based on the issues, and eliminating the risk of vote-splitting between candidates with similar platforms or from the same community. 

In fact, RCV has accelerated the opportunity for candidates of color to run and win in Minnesota cities that have adopted this voting system. It eliminates the low-turnout and unrepresentative local primary that is a deterrent for new voices in general and for underrepresented communities in particular. Candidates must be able to raise money and mount a campaign to get the word out by early August, just to get through a primary that is woefully unrepresentative of the city’s voters. Since local elections are a significant pipeline to state elected office, local voting systems can have a significant impact on the diversity and representation in our state legislative bodies as well. 

Read more for links to data, articles and powerful videos.

No. Ranked Choice Voting is nonpartisan and does not favor any political party; it simply ensures that electoral outcomes reflect the will of the majority of voters. It is used in red, blue and purple jurisdictions with equal success.

Neither. By eliminating the primary, Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) lowers barriers for entry and opens up the opportunity for new voices and candidates to enter the race and win. If the incumbent is strong, that candidate is unlikely to garner a strong challenger just like now. If the incumbent is not very strong, the race may draw challengers, and one of them may win. These political dynamics are the same under any voting system. 

A research paper from Utah State University examining the 2013 Minneapolis RCV election found that three of the nine incumbents seeking reelection lost their races. Similarly, in the 2019 St. Louis Park At-Large City Council race, the incumbent came in third. 

Like with the traditional system, if you make a mistake on your ranked-choice ballot that would disqualify your ballot (for example, by voting for more than one candidate in the same column), the tabulator will reject your ballot, and you will have an opportunity to correct it. Whether using Ranked Choice Voting or the traditional system, mistakes are handled the same way.

No. Your vote counts for your second choice only if your first choice is eliminated. Your vote only counts for your third choice if your first and second choices are eliminated.

No. You can rank as many, or as few, candidates as you like. The value of ranking is to ensure you have a say in the remaining candidates if your first choice is eliminated.