What is ranked-choice voting and how does it work in US elections?

Ranked-choice voting in Alaska could shape key 2026 races, amid a Trump administration lawsuit over two candidates named Dan Sullivan.

A voter fills out a ranked-choice ballot to select the mayor of Portland, Oregon, on November 5, 2024 [Jenny Kane/AP Photo]

In Alaska, a controversy is unfolding over whether two Senate candidates with roughly the same name will cancel each other out.

The debate has shone a spotlight on a relatively uncommon style of voting in the United States: a system known as “ranked choice”.

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Only two states in the United States — Alaska and Maine — employ ranked-choice voting throughout their territory, though major cities like New York have also embraced the practice.

Ranked-choice ballots allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference, rather than choosing just one. If a voter’s first choice does not win a majority, their vote can be transferred to their second pick.

With US midterm elections set for November 3, ranked-choice voting could play a role in closely watched races, including the Alaska Senate battle.

Here’s a guide on how ranked-choice voting works in the US:

What are the benefits of ranked-choice voting?

Proponents of ranked-choice voting believe the practice frees voters from the pressure of having to vote pragmatically. They no longer have to cast their ballot based on the candidate most likely to win.

Instead, supporters say that ranked-choice voting allows people to support the candidate they prefer the most, without the fear of “wasting” their vote should that candidate prove to be unpopular.

Advocates for ranked-choice voting also argue that the system reduces the spoiler effect, whereby a third-party or lesser-known candidate draws votes from a similar major-party candidate.

They also frame the system as a boon for democracy, by encouraging more diverse viewpoints to compete in elections and offering an incentive for candidates to work together.

What are the downsides?

Critics argue that ranked-choice ballots make voting and vote-counting more complicated.

They also fear it could slow down the tallying of election results, undermining confidence in the outcome.

A 2025 study published in the journal Political Behavior cited data suggesting that 4.8 percent of ranked-choice ballots are “improperly marked” — though it clarified that not all of those ballots are invalidated as a result.

How does ranked-choice voting work?

On a ranked-choice ballot, voters get to number their candidates in order of preference. If their first choice doesn’t win, their vote automatically counts for their next choice instead.

If one candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, that candidate wins.

If no candidate secures a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Ballots for that candidate are redistributed to voters’ next-ranked choices, and the votes are tallied again.

This continues until a candidate wins a majority of votes still counted in the final round.

If a voter ranks only one candidate and that candidate is eliminated, their ballot cannot transfer to another candidate.

Unlike a traditional runoff election, which requires voters to return to the polls, ranked-choice voting can determine a winner through successive rounds of counting in a single election.

Why do Alaska and Maine use ranked-choice voting?

Maine adopted ranked-choice voting in 2016 after concerns emerged about candidates winning elections without majority support. It first used the system in congressional elections in 2018.

Alaska voters approved the system through a 2020 ballot initiative. The state uses open primaries in which all candidates compete, with the top four advancing to a general election decided by ranked-choice voting.

Will ranked-choice voting affect Alaska’s Senate race?

Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system could come under scrutiny in this year’s Senate race, where two candidates named Dan Sullivan appear on the ballot.

The potential for voter confusion raises questions about whether some voters could accidentally rank the wrong candidate, potentially affecting how votes are distributed in successive rounds of ballot-counting.

State officials have taken steps to differentiate the two Sullivans on the ballot.

The incumbent, Senator Dan S Sullivan, is listed as a registered Republican and the incumbent, while his challenger, retired teacher Daniel J Sullivan Jr, has no party identification next to his name.

Still, the teacher’s inclusion has been the source of ongoing controversy, particularly in the wake of a New York Times report signalling he may have been recruited by Democrats as a spoiler candidate.

Republicans have raised concerns that having two Sullivans on the ballot could confuse voters and draw support away from the senator.

The teacher, meanwhile, has said his candidacy is genuine. In June, the Alaska Supreme Court allowed the vote to proceed with the participation of both Sullivans.

But the controversy has prompted US President Donald Trump to sue Alaska , seeking to block certification of the Senate election results if the incumbent Dan S Sullivan loses.

The lawsuit argues that confusion over the two candidates’ names could affect the outcome, but Alaska officials and Democrats are challenging the case.

Under the US Constitution, election administration falls to the states, and the lawsuit has raised concerns that the federal government might seek to meddle in Alaska’s vote count.

What other states have considered ranked-choice voting?

Ranked-choice voting is used in various local elections nationwide, including in New York City and San Francisco. Hawaii also uses it for certain special elections, while Washington, DC, adopted it for federal and local elections beginning in 2026.

Earlier this year, Virginia approved legislation expanding the use of ranked-choice voting.

But the system remains contested by some states. An estimated 19 states have laws prohibiting or restricting ranked-choice voting, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

在特朗普政府就两名名叫丹·沙利文的候选人提起诉讼之际，阿拉斯加的排序复选投票制可能会影响 2026 年的关键选举。

2024年11月5日，一名选民填写排序复选选票，选举俄勒冈州波特兰市市长。[Jenny Kane/AP Photo]

在阿拉斯加，一场争议正在上演：两位名字大致相同的参议院候选人是否会相互抵消？

这场辩论使人们关注到美国一种相对不常见的投票方式：一种被称为“排序复选制”的制度。

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美国只有两个州——阿拉斯加州和缅因州——在其全境采用排序复选投票制，不过像纽约这样的大城市也采用了这种做法。

排序复选制投票允许选民按偏好顺序对候选人进行排序，而不是只选择一位。如果选民的第一选择没有获得多数票，他们的选票可以转给第二选择。

美国中期选举定于 11 月 3 日举行，排序复选制投票可能会在备受关注的选举中发挥作用，包括阿拉斯加州参议员的竞选。

以下是关于美国排序复选投票制度运作方式的指南：

排序复选投票制有哪些好处？

支持排序复选投票制的人认为，这种做法使选民摆脱了出于务实考虑而投票的压力。他们不再需要根据候选人最有可能获胜来投票。

相反，支持者表示，排序复选投票制让人们能够支持自己最喜欢的候选人，而不用担心如果该候选人不受欢迎，他们的选票会被“浪费”。

支持排序复选投票制的人士还认为，该制度可以减少“搅局者效应”，即第三方或知名度较低的候选人从主要政党的类似候选人那里分走选票。

他们还将该制度视为民主的福音，因为它鼓励更多不同的观点参与选举竞争，并激励候选人合作。

缺点是什么？

批评人士认为，排序复选制投票使投票和计票更加复杂。

他们还担心这可能会减慢选举结果的统计速度，从而削弱人们对选举结果的信心。

2025 年发表在《政治行为》杂志上的一项研究引用数据表明，4.8% 的排序选择选票“标记不当”——尽管该研究澄清说，并非所有这些选票都因此无效。

排序复选投票制是如何运作的？

在排序复选制投票中，选民可以按偏好顺序给候选人编号。如果他们的第一选择没有当选，他们的选票会自动计入第二选择。

如果一名候选人获得超过50%的第一选择票，则该候选人获胜。

如果没有候选人获得过半数选票，则得票最少的候选人将被淘汰。该候选人的选票将重新分配给选民排名第二的候选人，并再次进行计票。

这个过程会一直持续到某位候选人在最后一轮计票中获得多数票为止。

如果选民只投票给一位候选人，而该候选人被淘汰，则该选民的选票不能转移到其他候选人身上。

与传统的决选不同，决选需要选民返回投票站，而排序复选制可以在一次选举中通过多轮计票来确定获胜者。

为什么阿拉斯加州和缅因州采用排序复选制投票？

缅因州在2016年采用了排序复选制投票，此前人们担心候选人会在未获得多数支持的情况下赢得选举。该州于2018年首次在国会选举中使用了该制度。

阿拉斯加选民在2020年的一项投票倡议中批准了这套制度。该州采用开放式初选，所有候选人参与竞争，得票最高的四位进入最终的普选，普选结果由排序复选制决定。

排序复选制投票会影响阿拉斯加州的参议院选举吗？

阿拉斯加的排序复选投票制度可能会在今年的参议院选举中受到审查，因为有两位名叫丹·沙利文的候选人出现在选票上。

选民可能出现的困惑引发了人们的疑问：一些选民是否会不小心给错误的候选人排名，从而可能影响后续几轮计票中选票的分配方式。

州政府官员已采取措施，区分选票上的两位苏利文。

现任参议员丹·S·沙利文被列为注册共和党人，而他的挑战者，退休教师丹尼尔·J·沙利文二世，名字旁边没有党派标识。

尽管如此，这位教师的参选仍然引发了持续的争议，尤其是在《纽约时报》的一篇报道暗示他可能被民主党招募为搅局者候选人之后。

共和党人担心，选票上出现两位苏利文可能会让选民感到困惑，并分散对这位参议员的支持。

与此同时，这位教师表示他的参选是真诚的。今年6月，阿拉斯加州最高法院允许投票继续进行，两位沙利文先生均可参加。

但这场争议促使美国总统唐纳德·特朗普起诉阿拉斯加州，试图阻止参议院选举结果的认证，如果现任参议员丹·S·沙利文落败的话。

诉讼称，两位候选人姓名的混淆可能会影响选举结果，但阿拉斯加州官员和民主党人正在对该诉讼提出质疑。

根据美国宪法，选举管理权属于各州，而这起诉讼引发了人们的担忧，即联邦政府可能会试图干预阿拉斯加的计票工作。

还有哪些州考虑过排序复选投票制？

排序复选制投票制已在全美各地的多个地方选举中采用，包括纽约市和旧金山。夏威夷州也在某些特别选举中采用该制度，而华盛顿特区则从2026年开始在联邦和地方选举中采用该制度。

今年早些时候，弗吉尼亚州批准了一项立法，扩大了排序复选投票的使用范围。

但一些州仍然对这种制度持反对意见。据全国州议会联合会估计，约有19个州制定了法律，禁止或限制排序复选投票制。