2. Ranked Choice Voting
Candidate Training
July 25, 2009

3. Today’s agenda
✤ Voting
✤ Counting
✤ RCV and your campaign

4. At the polling place
✤ November 3 is Election Day
✤ No primary
✤ Municipal elections only
✤ Mayor, City Council, Park Board, Board of Estimate and Taxation
✤ Voters rank up to three candidates for each race

5. Ballot example
1st Choice 2nd Choice 3rd Choice
Candidate Apple Candidate Apple Candidate Apple
Candidate Orange Candidate Orange Candidate Orange
Candidate Plum Candidate Plum Candidate Plum
Candidate Kiwi Candidate Kiwi Candidate Kiwi
Candidate Banana Candidate Banana Candidate Banana
Candidate Gooseberry Candidate Gooseberry Candidate Gooseberry

6. Ballot example
1st Choice 2nd Choice 3rd Choice
Candidate Apple Candidate Apple Candidate Apple
Candidate Orange Candidate Orange Candidate Orange
Candidate Plum Candidate Plum Candidate Plum
Candidate Kiwi Candidate Kiwi Candidate Kiwi
Candidate Banana Candidate Banana Candidate Banana
Candidate Gooseberry Candidate Gooseberry Candidate Gooseberry

7. At the Elections Warehouse
✤ Normalize ballots
✤ Fixes voter error
✤ Normalization process in ordinance
✤ Count write-in candidates
✤ Hand count all offices

8. Calculating the threshold
1 . + 1 vote
Number of seats + 1

9. Single seat elections
✤ If no one passes the threshold (50% + 1 vote) the
candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated
✤ The second choice votes from the eliminated candidate
are redistributed
✤ Counting continues until a winner is declared

10. Single seat example:
Round 1
Candidates Votes
Twins 1,000
Lynx 800
Timberwolves 700
Vikings 500
TOTAL 3,000

11. Single seat example:
The threshold
3,000/2 + 1 = 1,501

12. Single seat example:
Round 2
Candidates Round 1 Redistribution Round 2
results results
Twins 1,000 0 1,000
Lynx 800 +250 1,050
Timberwolves 700 +250 950
Vikings 500 -500 0
TOTAL 3,000 500 3,000
Threshold = 1,501 votes

13. Single seat example:
Round 3
Candidates Round Round 2 Redistribution Round 3
1 results results results
Twins 1,000 1,000 0 1,000
Lynx 800 1,050 +950 2,000
Timberwolves 700 950 -950 0
Vikings 500 0 0 0
TOTAL 3,000 3,000 500 3,000
Threshold = 1,501 votes

14. Multiple Seat Elections
✤ The threshold is calculated
✤ Park Board At-Large: 25% +1 vote
✤ Board of Estimate and Taxation: 33% + 1 vote
✤ If all of the seats are not filled during the first round,
mathematical elimination begins
✤ The second choice votes from the mathematically
eliminated candidate are redistributed
✤ This continues until there are no more candidates that can
be mathematically eliminated.

15. Multiple Seat Elections
Continued
✤ If candidates have votes over the threshold, their surplus
votes are proportionally redistributed.
✤ Mathematical elimination begins again if there are no
more surplus votes.
✤ This continues until all the seats are filled.

16. Park Board example:
Round 1
Candidates Votes
Lake Nokomis 1,300
Lake Harriet 850
Lake Hiawatha 750
Lake Calhoun 710
Brownie Lake 390
TOTAL 4,000

17. Park Board example:
The threshold
4,000/4 + 1 = 1,001

18. Park Board example:
Round 2
Candidates Round 1 results Redistribution Round 2 results
Lake Nokomis 1,300 1,300
Lake Harriet 850 850
Lake Hiawatha 750 +300 1,050
Lake Calhoun 710 +90 800
Brownie Lake 390 -390 0
TOTAL 4,000 4,000

19. Park Board example:
Surplus
surplus votes = surplus fraction
total votes
299 = .23
1,300

20. Park Board example:
Distributing the surplus
Of all the 1,300 voters who ranked Lake Nokomis first...
1,250 ranked Lake Calhoun second
50 ranked Lake Hiawatha second

21. Park Board example:
Distributing the surplus
Lake Calhoun: 1,250 x .23 = 287.5
Lake Hiawatha: 50 x .23 = 11.5

22. Park Board example:
Round 3
Candidates Round 1 Round 2 Redistribution Round 3
results results results
Lake Nokomis 1,300 1,300 -299 1,001
Lake Harriet 850 850 +11.5 861.5
Lake Hiawatha 750 1,050 1,050
Lake Calhoun 710 800 +287.5 1,087.5
Brownie Lake 390 0 0
TOTAL 4,000 4,000 4,000

23. Possible voter errors:
Over vote
1st Choice 2nd Choice 3rd Choice
Candidate Apple Candidate Apple Candidate Apple
Candidate Orange Candidate Orange Candidate Orange
Candidate Plum Candidate Plum Candidate Plum
Candidate Kiwi Candidate Kiwi Candidate Kiwi
Candidate Banana Candidate Banana Candidate Banana
Candidate Gooseberry Candidate Gooseberry Candidate Gooseberry

24. Possible voter errors:
Skipped ranking
1st Choice 2nd Choice 3rd Choice
Candidate Apple Candidate Apple Candidate Apple
Candidate Orange Candidate Orange Candidate Orange
Candidate Plum Candidate Plum Candidate Plum
Candidate Kiwi Candidate Kiwi Candidate Kiwi
Candidate Banana Candidate Banana Candidate Banana
Candidate Gooseberry Candidate Gooseberry Candidate Gooseberry

25. Possible voter errors:
Over voting for a candidate
1st Choice 2nd Choice 3rd Choice
Candidate Apple Candidate Apple Candidate Apple
Candidate Orange Candidate Orange Candidate Orange
Candidate Plum Candidate Plum Candidate Plum
Candidate Kiwi Candidate Kiwi Candidate Kiwi
Candidate Banana Candidate Banana Candidate Banana
Candidate Gooseberry Candidate Gooseberry Candidate Gooseberry

26. Normalization
Skipped one ranking Next ranking
Skipped two rankings Exhausted
One over vote for a candidate Next ranking

27. Outreach Activities
✤ Ranked Choice Voting Issues Group
✤ Meets 3rd Thursdays, 7pm, Room 132 in City Hall
✤ Speakers Bureau
✤ Organizational Outreach
✤ Media
✤ Visibility

28. How we can help you
✤ Review your literature for accuracy
✤ Make educational materials available
✤ National Night Out (August 4)
✤ Direct supporters to our website

29. Building RCV into your
campaign plan
✤ Explain RCV in all literature, speeches, and other
communications
✤ Have your supporters practice filling out a ballot
✤ Ranked Choice Dessert

30. Questions?
✤ Contact Mike Dean and Ona Abderholden Keller, Ranked Choice
Voting Outreach Coordinators, City of Minneapolis
✤ 612-605-8370
✤ rcv@ci.minneapolis.mn.us