Restores Majority Rule:
In typical elections, a candidate could win with less than the majority of the vote. With ranked choice, the person who gets the majority of the votes actually wins.
With ranked choice voting, candidates not in the lead are excluded from the competition. Voters who voted for candidates excluded from the competition get to have their second or third choices included in the final race. This removes the possibility of a win with less than 50% of the vote.
Eliminates Vote Splitting:
In traditional voting, when you vote for a less-popular candidate, you may be helping a candidate that you don't like win. If your candidate isn’t chosen, your vote is gone.
With ranked choice, you can order your choices so that if your top candidate is eliminated your vote will count for your next favorite candidate.
More Choice for Voters:
Voters don't have to worry about limiting their choices to the most popular candidate. Voters can take the time to get to know the candidates and their positions on important issues. Potential candidates will also be more likely to run when they don’t have to worry about splitting the vote.
Reduces Likelihood of Attacking Candidates
Since voters have a second, third, and fourth choice, candidates benefit from treating their rivals civilly. Attacking other candidates or their platforms could turn off potential voters.
Candidates are more likely to engage in civil discussions and find common ground with opponents when votes are at stake. Ranked choice voting will encourage a greater civility among candidates with more focus on the issues than on attacking the other candidate.