Mathematics and the Will of the People: Why Ranked Choice Voting Outperforms Plurality

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In democracy, the “will of the people” should reflect collective preferences as accurately as possible. Mathematics offers compelling evidence that ranked choice voting (RCV) better captures this than traditional plurality voting, where the candidate with the most first-choice votes wins—even without a majority. Plurality often leads to vote-splitting and “spoiler” effects, distorting outcomes. RCV, by allowing voters to rank preferences, uses iterative redistribution to find a candidate with broader support, aligning more closely with concepts like the Condorcet winner (a candidate who beats all others head-to-head). 

Pros of RCV include reducing wasted votes, encouraging positive campaigning, and minimizing the “lesser of two evils” dilemma, as voters can support favorites without fear of spoiling elections. It can also save costs by avoiding separate runoffs. 

Cons persist: ballots can seem complex, leading to exhausted votes or errors; counting is slower and costlier upfront; and non-monotonicity (where ranking a candidate higher might hurt them) raises fairness questions in rare cases. 

Videos from FairVote and Illustrate to Educate illustrate these dynamics clearly. Overall, empirical studies and social choice theory show RCV more reliably produces majority-backed winners and better represents voter intent than plurality’s simplistic tallies. 

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Works Cited

FairVote. “What is Ranked Choice Voting?” YouTube, uploaded by FairVote, [link to https://youtu.be/gq7N2hmX9FI]. Accessed 30 May 2026.

Illustrate to Educate. “Ranked Choice Voting Pros Cons.” YouTube, [link to https://youtu.be/Y47yDXmeNmY]. Accessed 30 May 2026.

“Ranked Choice Voting Facts.” YouTube, [link to https://youtu.be/XXdmq_pTr8A]. Accessed 30 May 2026.

McCune, David, et al. “Empirical Analysis of Ranked Choice Voting Methods.” Mathematics & Democracy Institute, 2025, mathematics-democracy-institute.org/empirical-analysis-of-ranked-choice-voting-methods/.

Scientific American. “Could Math Design the Perfect Electoral System?” 2 Nov. 2023, www.scientificamerican.com/article/see-how-math-could-design-the-perfect-electoral-system/.