Legal Definitions - IRV

Definition: IRV stands for instant-runoff voting, which is a system of preferential voting that mimics a runoff election by using each voter's ranked preferences instead of a second round of voting. This means that instead of just choosing one candidate, voters rank their choices in order of preference. If no candidate gets a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to the remaining candidates based on the voters' second choices. This process continues until one candidate has a majority of votes.

Example: In an election with three candidates, Alice, Bob, and Charlie, voters rank their choices as follows: 40% choose Alice as their first choice, 35% choose Bob, and 25% choose Charlie. Since no candidate has a majority of first-choice votes, Charlie is eliminated, and his votes are redistributed to the remaining candidates based on the voters' second choices. Let's say that 60% of Charlie's voters chose Bob as their second choice, and 40% chose Alice. After the redistribution, Bob has 55% of the votes, and Alice has 45%. Therefore, Bob wins the election.

Explanation: IRV allows voters to express their preferences more fully than traditional voting systems, and it ensures that the winner has majority support. It also eliminates the need for a separate runoff election, which can save time and money. However, it can be more complicated to count the votes and explain the process to voters.