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”. 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: 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. 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. 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.
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