During elections, we vote for just one candidate per office. The candidate that gets the most votes wins. But there is an alternate form of election that has started to gain the public and policy maker’s attention, and that is Ranked Choice Voting. In this type of election, voters use special ballots to rank all the candidates according to preference rather than voting for a single one. This system is already used in several local jurisdictions in the U.S., and even in some state elections.

Advocates for Ranked Choice Voting say it can ensure more fair elections, while detractors maintain it actually deters voters from going to the polls. Here in Connecticut, new legislation has been proposed to allow ranked choice voting in municipal elections. But what do we need to know about Ranked Choice Voting? Join Dr. Joseph Coll, Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics at Sewanee: The University of the South, who will discuss the fundamentals of this alternative form of elections!