Mpls. Voters Adapt Easily to Ranked Choice Voting

Election officials said ranked choice voting in Minneapolis was a success.

Tuesday was the first time the voting method was used in a Minneapolis election.

Instead of only voting for one candidate, voters marked their top three choices in order of preference for each office.

If no candidate gets a majority of the vote, there is an instant runoff. The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and the second and then third choices are awarded to the top finishers until one exceeds 50 percent.

Voters said the process was not difficult and they did not have a difficult time adapting.

Voter Barb Benz said, "I thought it was pretty self-explanatory as long as you just filled in one for one column and didn't just vote for the same person every time."

Election officials on hand to answer questions at polling places said most people understood the new system. They fielded a few questions mostly about whether voters were required to rank three candidates. They are not. Voters can choose to rank only two or vote for only one.

The new system may delay results.

The federal government hasn't certified machines that can count ranked votes and Minnesota law forbids use of federally uncertified voting machines, so officials will count votes by hand.

Tuesday St. Paul voters approved the same method.