Reply #30: let's see if I can explain it a little more clearly. [View All]

Ok, say we've got 4 candidates running and 100 people vote. Now the votes are cast by ranking the candidates on the ballot, leaving blank any candidate you would NOT want your vote cast for ever. In the first race you'll have a result like this-

1 gets 33 votes
2 gets 41 votes
3 gets 15 votes
4 gets 11 votes

Candidate 4 is eliminated and his votes are split between the second choice candidates on those 11 ballots. So let's say that 4 people chose candidate 1, another 4 chose candidate 2, and 2 chose candidate 3

Now the votes show this result-

1 gets 37 votes
2 gets 45 votes
3 gets 17 votes.

Candidate 3 is now eliminated and the votes are once again split according to the second and third choices on those ballots, say 7 chose candidate 2, and 4 chose candidate 1, the other 6 left a third and fourth choice blank so those ballots are set aside.

The final tally is

1 gets 41 votes
2 gets 52 votes and wins the election.

The change in who your vote goes to is a result of one of your selected candidates having been defeated and eliminated from the race, shifting your vote to one of the other candidates you ranked on your ballot.