Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV)
OpenSTV implements voting methods where votes consist of rankings of one or more candidates. The terms instant runoff voting, the single transferable vote, and ranked-choice voting (among others) are often used to describe these voting methods.
Instant runoff voting (IRV) is a voting method where ranked ballots are used to simulate a series of runoff elections. IRV is most often used to elect a single candidate but could also be used to elect more than one candidate with a kind of proportional representation.
The single transferable vote (STV) is a voting method where ranked ballots are used to provide proportional representation by transferring surplus votes from winning candidates and transferring votes from losing candidates. When STV is used to elect a single candidate, it is equivalent to IRV.
Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is a relatively new term to describe elections using the single transferable vote or instant runoff voting. San Francisco uses ranked-choice voting to describe its instant runoff voting elections, and Minneapolis uses ranked-choice voting to describe both its instant runoff voting and single transferable vote elections.
OpenSTV also implements a number of other methods based on ranked ballots, including Condorcet voting.
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