Twenty-first International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations

Abstract

A current electoral reform effort used in several countries around the world and now in nineteen U.S. cities, one state and four 2020 democratic primaries is rank choice vote (RCV). Rank choice vote (RCV) sometimes referred to as instant run off (IRV) is a system unlike the one we have today. In this system voters are given a ballot where they can rank candidates in order of their preference. Ballots are initially counted for each elector’s top choice. If a candidate secures a majority vote, they win. Otherwise, the candidate in last place is eliminated and the remaining choices are re-counted. This process repeats until the field is reduced to two, becoming an “instant runoff” (IRV) between the two candidates. RCV experiences as used in several of these cities and by the state of Maine is discussed with special attention to its outcomes which include greater representation by those formerly underrepresented, minorities, women, and third parties.