Instant-runoff voting

When the Single Transferable Vote voting system is applied to a single-winner election it is sometimes called instant-runoff voting (IRV), as it is much like holding a series of runoff elections in which the lowest polling candidate is eliminated in each round until someone receives majority vote. IRV is often considered independently of multi-winner Single transferable vote (STV) because it is simpler and is a widely advocated electoral reform in the USA.

Related Topics:
Single Transferable Vote - Voting system - Runoff elections - Majority - USA

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Instant-Runoff Voting was invented around 1870 by American architect William Robert Ware. Ware was not a mathematician, thus never subjected his election method to any rigorous analysis. He evidently based IRV on the single winner outcome of the Single Transferable Vote or STV developed in 1855 originally by Carl Andrae in Denmark. It was introduced into England in 1857 by the barrister Thomas Hare, where it earned public praise from John Stuart Mill, an English philosopher, member of parliament, and employee of the East India Company.

Related Topics:
William Robert Ware - Single Transferable Vote - Carl Andrae - Denmark - England - Barrister - Thomas Hare - John Stuart Mill - East India Company

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IRV is a form of preferential voting, also known as the Alternative Vote (AV), or the Hare System. It is sometimes also known as Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), a term useful for describing the voter's experience as well as the appearance of the ballot, however, this term is ambiguous in that there are many ranked ballot voting methods.

Related Topics:
Preferential voting - Hare - Many ranked ballot voting methods

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IRV was first used in Australia (where it is known as preferential voting) by the self-governing colony of Queensland, in 1893. The system gradually spread to other Australian colonies (states after 1901) and has been used to elect the Australian House of Representatives since 1919. It is also used for the lower houses of most of Australia's state and territorial parliaments. IRV is also used to elect the President of Ireland, the Papua New Guinea National Parliament, and the Fijian House of Representatives. (See below for a more detailed list.)

Related Topics:
Australia - Self-governing colony - Queensland - 1893 - Australian House of Representatives - 1919 - State and territorial - President of Ireland - Papua New Guinea - Fijian - House of Representatives

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