RCV Definitions and Tabulation Procedures_Ver4.xlsx

	A	B	C	G
1	Definitions for Ranked Choice Voting
2				Citations
3	Ranked Choice Voting/Preferential Voting	California SB 1288 (passed both houses of California Legislature in 2016, veoted by Gov.)	Ranked choice voting means a method that allows voters to rank candidates for office in order of preference. Elections conducted by ranked choice voting may be used for both single-winner and multiple-winner elections. Elections conducted by ranked choice voting are tabulated in rounds, as specified in the counting rules.	SB1288, 22000 (California)
4		Berkeley	Ranked choice voting shall mean an election system in which voters rank the candidates for office in order of preference, and the ballots are counted in rounds that, in the case of a single-winner election, simulate a series of runoffs until one candidate receives a majority of votes. Also known as "instant runoff voting."	Berkeley Code ch. 2, § 2.14.010(A)
5		Oakland	Ranked choice voting" shall mean an election system in which voters rank the candidates for office in order of preference, and the ballots are counted in rounds that, in the case of a single-winner election, simulate a series of runoffs until one candidate receives a majority of votes.	Oakland Charter, art. XI, § 1105(a)
6		Minneapolis	Ranked-choice voting means an election method in which voters rank candidates for an office in order of their preference and the ballots are counted in rounds and votes, or fractions thereof, are distributed to candidates according to the preferences marked on each ballot as described in sections 167.60 and 167.70 of this chapter	Minneapolis Charter, ch. 167.20
7		Maine	Ranked-choice voting means the method of casting and tabulating votes in which voters rank candidates in order of preference, tabulation proceeds in sequential rounds in which last-place candidates are defeated and the candidate with the most votes in the final round is elected.	Maine Rev. Statutes, 21-A M.R.S.A. § 1(35-A)
8		St Paul	Ranked voting means an election method in which voters rank candidates for an office in order of their preference and the ballots are counted in rounds that simulate a series of runoffs until one (1) candidate meets the threshold, or until two (2) candidates remain and the candidate with the greater number of votes is declared elected.	St. Paul Ordinances, tit. 5, § 31.02
9		San Francisco		N/A
10		Portland, ME		N/A
11		San Leandro	Ranked choice voting shall mean an election system in which voters rank the candidates for office in order of preference, and the ballots are counted in rounds that simulate a series of runoffs until one candidate receives a majority of votes. Ranked choice voting is also known as “instant runoff voting.”	San Leandro Code, tit. 1, § 1-11-300
12		Takoma Park, MD		N/A
13		Cambridge	"Preferential voting" shall mean the preferential voting method of election provided for in this chapter	54A Mass. Gen. Laws § 1
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16	Proportional Repesentation	Cambridge	"Proportional representation", shall mean any proportional representation method of election authorized by this chapter.	54A Mass. Gen. Laws § 1
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19	Abstention	SB 1288	Abstention means a ballot that is to be counted for the highest-ranked continuing candidate, but that does not contain a highest-ranked continuing candidate or overvote, and the voter did at least one of the following: (1) Failed to assign an available ranking to every qualified candidate, and the ballot allowed the voter to rank an additional qualified candidate without creating an overvote ranking. (2) Assigned a qualified candidate two or more different rankings .	22001(a)
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22	Batch Elimination	SB 1288	(No definition but is provided for)	22100(d)
23		Berkeley	(No definition but is provided for)	ch. 2, § 2.14.060
24		Oakland	(No definition but is provided for)	art. XI, § 1105(f)
25		Minneapolis	Batch elimination means a simultaneous defeat of multiple continuing candidates for whom it is mathematically impossible to be elected.	ch. 167.20
26		Maine	Batch elimination means the simultaneous defeat of multiple candidates for whom it is mathematically impossible to be elected.	21-A M.R.S.A. § 723-A(1)(A)
27		St Paul	Batch elimination means a simultaneous defeat of multiple continuing candidates for whom it is mathematically impossible to be elected.	tit. 5, § 31.02
28		San Francisco	(No definition but is provided for)	San Francisco Charter, art. XIII, § 13.102(e)
29		Portland, ME		N/A
30		San Leandro		N/A
31		Takoma Park, MD	(No definition but is provided for)	Takoma Park Charter, art. VI, § 606(f)
32		Cambridge	(No definition, but provides for a form of batch elimination by eliminating all candidates with fewer votes than the number of signatures required for nomination, in other words fewer than 50 first choice votes in the first round)	54A Mass. Gen. Laws § 9(g)
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35	Continuing Ballot	SB 1288		N/A
36		Berkeley	"Continuing ballot" shall mean a ballot that counts towards a continuing candidate.	ch. 2, § 2.14.010(B)
37		Oakland	"Continuing ballot" shall mean a ballot that counts towards some candidate	art. XI, § 1105(a)(1)
38		Minneapolis		N/A
39		Maine	"Continuing ballot" means a ballot that is not an exhausted ballot	21-A M.R.S.A. § 723-A(1)(B)
40		St Paul		N/A
41		San Francisco	a ballot shall be deemed "continuing" if it is not exhausted	art. XIII, § 13.102(a)(2)
42		Portland, ME		N/A
43		San Leandro	“Continuing ballot” shall mean a ballot that counts towards a continuing candidate.	tit. 1, § 1-11-300
44		Takoma Park, MD		N/A
45		Cambridge		N/A
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48	Continuing/ Advancing Candidate	SB 1288	"Continuing candidate” means a qualified candidate who has not yet been elected or defeated.	22001(b)
49		Berkeley	"Continuing candidate" shall mean a candidate that has not been eliminated.	ch. 2, § 2.14.010(C)
50		Oakland	"continuing candidate" shall mean a candidate that has not been eliminated;	art. XI, § 1105(a)(2)
51		Minneapolis	Continuing candidate means a candidate who has been neither elected nor defeated.	ch. 167.20
52		Maine	Continuing candidate" means a candidate who has not been defeated.	21-A M.R.S.A. § 723-A(1)(C)
53		St Paul	Continuing candidate means a candidate who has been neither elected nor defeated.	tit. 5, § 31.02
54		San Francisco	a candidate shall be deemed "continuing" if the candidate has not been eliminated	art. XIII, § 13.102(a)(1)
55		Portland, ME		N/A
56		San Leandro	“Continuing candidate” shall mean a candidate that has not been eliminated.	tit. 1, § 1-11-300
57		Takoma Park, MD	“Advancing candidate” means a candidate for that office who has not been eliminated.	art. VI, § 606(e)
58		Cambridge	A "continuing candidate" is a candidate not as yet either elected or defeated	54A Mass. Gen. Laws § 9(h)
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61	Exhausted Ballot	SB 1288	Exhausted ballot” means a ballot that is an abstention, an overvote that is not counted fractionally or an other exhausted ballot
62		Berkeley	Exhausted ballot" means any ballot that cannot be advanced because no further continuing candidates are ranked on that ballot.	ch. 2, § 2.14.010(J)
63		Oakland	any ballot [that] cannot be advanced because no further candidates are ranked on that ballot,	art. XI, § 1105(h)
64		Minneapolis	Exhausted ballot means a ballot that cannot be advanced under section 167.60(c)(2) or section 167.70(c)(2).	ch. 167.20
65		Maine	"Exhausted ballot" means a ballot that does not rank any continuing candidate, contains an overvote at the highest continuing ranking or contains 2 or more sequential skipped rankings before its highest continuing ranking.	21-A M.R.S.A. § 723-A(1)(D)
66		St Paul	Exhausted ballot means a ballot that cannot be advanced under section 31.05	tit. 5, § 31.02
67		San Francisco	a ballot shall be deemed "exhausted," and not counted in further stages of the tabulation, if all of the choices have been eliminated or there are no more choices indicated on the ballot. If a ranked-choice ballot gives equal rank to two or more candidates, the ballot shall be declared exhausted when such multiple rankings are reached.	art. XIII, § 13.102(a)(3)
68		Portland, ME		N/A
69		San Leandro		N/A
70		Takoma Park, MD	If a ballot has no more available choices ranked on it, that ballot shall be declared “exhausted” and not counted in that round or any subsequent round.	art. VI, § 606(g)
71		Cambridge	Any ballot taken for transfer which does not clearly indicate any candidate as next choice among the continuing candidates shall be set aside as "exhausted".	54A Mass. Gen. Laws § 9(h)
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74	Highest continuing ranking/Next Ranked/Highest Ranked Continuing Candidate	SB 1288	"Highest-ranked continuing candidate" means the continuing candidate on a ballot assigned a ranking with numerical value that is lower than the ranking for both of the following: (1) Any other continuing candidate. (2) Any overvote ranking on the ballot.	22001(c)
75		Berkeley	"Next ranked" means the highest ranked choice for a continuing candidate	ch. 2, 2.14.010(I)
76		Oakland		N/A
77		Minneapolis	Highest continuing ranking means the ranking on a voter's ballot with the lowest numerical value for a continuing candidate.	ch. 167.20
78		Maine	Highest continuing ranking" means the highest ranking on a voter's ballot for a continuing candidate	21-A M.R.S.A. § 723-A(1)(E)
79		St Paul	Highest continuing ranking means the ranking on a voter's ballot with the lowest numerical value for a continuing candidate.	tit. 5, § 31.02
80		San Francisco		N/A
81		Portland, ME		N/A
82		San Leandro	“Next ranked” means the highest ranked choice for a continuing candidate.	tit. 1, § 1-11-300
83		Takoma Park, MD		N/A
84		Cambridge		N/A
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87	Majority of Votes	SB 1288	Majority of votes" means greater than 50-percent of the votes counting for all continuing candidates	22001(e)
88		Berkeley	Majority of votes" shall mean more than fifty percent of the votes cast on continuing ballots.	ch. 2, § 2.14.010(D)
89		Oakland	majority of votes" shall mean more than fifty percent of the votes coming from continuing ballots	art. XI, § 1105(a)(3)
90		Minneapolis	(see "threshold")	ch. 167.20
91		Maine	(Maine eliminates down to two candidates, regardless of vote shares/majorities)
92		St Paul		N/A
93		San Francisco		N/A
94		Portland, ME	a majority of the votes cast in that round.	Portland Charter, art. II, § 3(b)–(c)
95		San Leandro	“Majority of votes” shall mean fifty percent (50%) plus one of the votes cast on continuing ballots.	tit. 1, § 1-11-300
96		Takoma Park, MD	a majority of valid votes in a round	art. VI, § 606(e)
97		Cambridge		N/A
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100	Mathematically Impossible to be Elected	SB 1288	(d) If a candidate satisfies both of the following conditions, then all candidates with fewer votes may be designated as defeated: (1) At least one other candidate has at least as many votes as the candidate. (2) The candidate has more votes than the total votes for all candidates with fewer votes.	22100(d)