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Public Perceptions of Alternative Voting Systems: Results from a National Survey Experiment

This paper presents the results from a national survey experiment that tests how voters respond to alternative voting rules, like ranked choice voting (RCV). There are competing predictions about how voters will evaluate alternative voting rules. Since RCV allows people to mark preferences for multiple candidates, rather than just choosing one, some voting theorists contend that these systems allow for a fuller expression of voter preferences. The ability to have one’s vote transfer to a second or third choice candidate is a major selling point of RCV. However, there is little direct evidence indicating whether American voters really like this feature. We find that a short explanation of the vote transfer properties of RCV does not increase public support for the voting rule. Respondents give the single vote method higher ratings on fairness and ease-of-use measures, and a strong majority prefers the single vote to the ranked vote. Younger voters, Democrats, more educated respondents, and third-party supporters tend to evaluate RCV more positively than older voters, Republicans, less educated respondents, and major party supporters. Jurisdictions adopting ranked choice voting will need sustained voter education campaigns to overcome initial public resistance to new voting rules.