HOW TO RUN & WIN A RANKED CHOICE VOTING (RCV) CAMPAIGN
In an RCV election, a candidate must get
a majority of votes in order to win.
But what does that look like when
the rubber meets the road?
Know your “win number”
(the number of votes you need to get elected)
Win Number = (50% of expected turnout + 2% cushion)
Expected number of voters* x 0.52
*expected voters = registered voters x expected turnout (based on an average of the last three elections)
Getting to the win number
Convince at least that many voters to choose you as a 1st choice.
OR
Build a coalition through 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices to get to your Win Number.
Building your base
Start with people close to you.
Family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, college connections, kids’ friends and their parents, local or faith community members, clubs, civic organizations, your yoga class.
Expanding your base
Talk to people who could be part of your coalition because of where they live, their age, ethnicity, issues, interests, and values.
In an RCV election, all voters matter, not just your base. You have to try and reach all of them.
Tactics to Build Your Base
Among Voters of Different Levels of Support
Suggested Real-World Tactics & Messaging
Make it clear you plan to rank candidates yourself and urge your supporters to use their rankings. Suggesting you won’t rank, or urging supporters to rank only you, isolates you from the field and other candidates’ supporters. It’s what Sarah Palin did in her 2022 congressional election in the special congressional election in Alaska, and it clearly hurt her – only half of the backers of her fellow Republican in last place ranked her as a second choice.
Look to engage with all voters. If you see a yard sign for an opponent in front of a house, it’s still worth a conversation. Earning a 2nd choice can help you win – and help you govern if you do win. Most RCV winners are ranked 1st, 2nd or 3rd by more than two-thirds of voters.
Be ready to explain why you’re the best choice in contrast to other candidates, but be ready to say where you agree with them as well. Establishing common ground is healthy for our political discourse, and can earn you more 2nd or 3rd choice support.
Be open to endorsing another candidate as a 2nd choice if that’s important to you. But be aware that doing so could alienate some potential backers of the remaining candidates — and those voters will play a key role if their preferred candidate is knocked out during the RCV tally after being in last place.
Do more to earn 2nd-choice support than simply relying on tactics to earn name recognition. When voters have decided to rank someone else first, they are most likely to rank you second if you have earned their respect. That means showing up at events they care about, knocking on their doors, and finding other ways to show a connection.
