Ranked Voting - The Reallocation Process

This videos describes the reallocation process used to count ballots in municipal elections in the City of Saint Paul, MN

If no candidate receives a majority of first choice votes cast on Election Day,

a reallocation will occur to determine the winner.

A candidate is declared the winner once he or she meets the threshold.

The following example demonstrates

the reallocation process used in municipal elections in the City of Saint Paul.

In this demonstration, there are 104 total ballots.

Ballots are first sorted by their first choice selections.

There's a separate pile for each candidate,

a pile for write-in votes,

pile for suspended ballots,

and a pile for inactive ballots.

A ballot is suspended when the voter's first choice vote cannot be determined.

For example, this voter selected more than one candidate as

the first choice and therefore the ballot is suspended until the first reallocation.

On this ballot, the voter did not mark a first choice,

so the ballot cannot be placed into a first choice pile.

It will be suspended until the first reallocation.

This ballot contains an identifying mark and by law cannot be counted.

It is placed in the inactive pile for the duration of the reallocation.

This ballot does not have any choices indicated,

and is placed in the inactive pile for the duration of the reallocation.

Inactive and suspended ballots are not part of

the first choice votes and do not impact the threshold to win the election.

Once all the ballots have been sorted into the first choice piles,

each candidate pile is counted into groups of

25 and the total of first choice votes is determined.

After all ballots for a candidate have been counted,

vote totals are recorded on the summary statements.

One statement is given to an Election Judge for recording,

and a copy is placed on top of the ballot pile.

In this demonstration, candidate A received 40 first choice votes.

Candidate B received 26.

Candidate C, 24, candidate D,

seven, and candidate E received two.

There was one first choice vote for a write-in candidate,

two suspended ballots, and two inactive ballots.

If no candidate has reached the threshold to win the election,

it will be determined if it is mathematically

impossible for any of the candidates to be elected.

Because it is mathematically impossible for candidate D, E,

and write-in to win the election,

their first choice votes are eliminated.

The ballots for the eliminated candidates will be

reallocated by cascading to the next viable choice.

Any ballot for which no viable choice remains,

will be placed in the inactive pile for the duration of the reallocation.

The suspended ballots will be reallocated first.

Then the ballots for the eliminated candidates are reallocated.

After the first reallocation,

the sorted ballots are counted and then added to the first choice piles

to determine if a candidate has met the threshold to win the election.

Candidate A gained two votes and now has a total of 42 votes.

Candidate B gained two votes for a total of 28 votes.

Candidate C gained seven votes for a total of 31 votes.

There was one ballot that could not be reallocated,

so the total of inactive ballots increases to three.

Since no candidate has yet to reach the threshold,

another reallocation must occur.

Because candidate B has the fewest votes of the remaining candidates,

his votes are reallocated.

Then the sorted ballots are counted and added to the candidates' previous vote totals.

Candidate A gained four votes and now has a total of 46 votes.

Candidate C received 24 votes and has a total of 55 votes.

Because candidate C's vote totals surpass the threshold,

he is declared the winner of the election.

For more information on the ranked voting process in Saint Paul,

visit the Ramsey County Elections website at rcelections.org.