VIDEO: Confused about ranked-choice voting? Here's how it works

ByJuan Carlos Guerrero KGO logo
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
VIDEO: Ranked-choice voting explained
Those second and third choice selections in ranked-choice voting could become really important in an election.

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Ranked-choice voting has been around for several elections cycles, yet many voters are still confused about how it works. It's really as easy as 1-2-3 as the video above explains.

In a ranked-choice ballot, voters pick their preferred candidate. But unlike regular ballots, in this system, voters also pick their second and third choice candidates. Those picks are important if no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote during the initial counting.

Jean Quan was elected mayor of Oakland even though she did not have the majority of first place votes. That's because when second and third choices were counted, she came out ahead.

STILL CONFUSED? No problem. Here's a more in-depth explanation by Kristen Sze

San Francisco has been using ranked-choice voting since 2004. Here's how it works.

Take a look at the latest stories and videos about the election.