Resolving election ties

When using Ranked Choice Voting questions, ties can occur during the election process. Here's how these ties are resolved:

  1. Elimination ties:

    • Second preference votes: If there's a tie between candidates for elimination, the candidate with the fewest second-preference votes will be eliminated.

    • Subsequent preference votes: If still tied, the process continues by comparing third preference votes, and so on.

    • First preference votes: If the tie persists, the candidate with the fewest original first preference votes will be eliminated.

    • Further preferences: The process repeats with second, third preferences, etc., until the tie is resolved.

    • Random draw: If all else fails, the tie is resolved by a random draw.

  2. Election ties when quota is met:

    • If there’s a tie among candidates who have met the quota, the candidate with the most votes will be elected.

    • If the tie persists, a random draw will determine the elected candidate.

This approach ensures that ties in ranked voting are handled systematically, with multiple layers of tie-breaking criteria before resorting to a random draw.