Ranked choice voting calculator
This calculator counts a ranked-choice election the way an instant-runoff count works: one round at a time, showing each candidate’s votes, the majority line, the candidate eliminated and where their ballots go. Paste one ballot per line, most preferred first. The result updates as you type.
The count runs in your browser. Nothing you paste is sent to Votense or stored, so it suits a board or association ballot you are not ready to publish. The worked example that loads first is the one walked through below.
Ranked choice picks one winner. An election for several seats uses a different count, which this tool does not perform.
Separate choices with >. A line can rank only some candidates. Names match regardless of capitals.
Winner: C
| Candidate | Votes | Share of ballots in count |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4 | 40.0% |
| B | 2 | 20.0% |
| C | 4 | 40.0% |
Eliminated: B. Their ballots move to each voter’s next continuing choice.
| Candidate | Votes | Share of ballots in count |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4 | 40.0% |
| C | 6 | 60.0% |
No elimination this round.
How to use it
- Write one line per ballot. List the candidates in order of preference and separate them with “>”. A voter may rank only some candidates.
- Read any red message: it names the line that needs fixing, such as a candidate ranked twice on one ballot.
- Go round by round. The first round that shows a winner, a tie or “no winner” is the result.
- Keep the round tables with your minutes, so anyone can check the count.
The procedure this calculator follows
Each ballot counts for its highest-ranked candidate who is still in the count. Candidates are eliminated one round at a time. If no candidate has more than half of the ballots still in the count, the candidate with the fewest votes is removed, and each of that candidate’s ballots moves to the voter’s next choice that is still in the count. The round repeats until one candidate reaches the majority line.
The majority line is more than half of the ballots still in the count, not of everyone who voted. That is why a ballot that runs out of choices changes the number a winner must reach.
A worked example, checked by hand
Ten ballots: four read A > B > C, two read B > C > A, three read C > B > A, and one reads C > A. In round one, A has 4 first choices, B has 2 and C has 4 (3 plus 1). Nobody has the 6 votes needed to win, so B, with the fewest, is eliminated.
B’s two ballots move to their next choice, C. In round two, A keeps 4 and C rises to 6 (4 from round one, plus 2 transferred). Six of ten ballots is more than half, so C wins. The count stops there.
Ties and exhausted ballots
An exhausted ballot is one whose voter ranked only candidates who have all been eliminated. It leaves the count. Because the majority line is worked out from the ballots still in the count, exhausting ballots can let a smaller share win.
When two or more candidates tie for last place, this tool eliminates them together. That is a common convention, not the only one, so check your own rules. If the last round has no winner and the candidates are tied, the tool reports a tie and does not pick one.
Ranked choice and Votense
A Votense ranking question reports each option’s average rank and how many voters put it first. It does not run the instant-runoff count. To count a ranked-choice vote run through Votense, copy the ranking answers into this calculator with one ballot per line, most preferred first.
Use it with a real vote, quiz or test
Votense is free to start: no card, and creating a poll, quiz or exam does not need a plan.
Ranked choice voting calculator questions
- Is ranked choice the same as a runoff election?
- Not quite. A traditional runoff holds a second vote between the top candidates weeks later. Ranked choice reaches a similar result on one ballot: when no one has a majority, the weakest candidate is removed, their votes move to each voter’s next choice, and the count repeats until someone has more than half of the ballots still in the count.
- What happens when two candidates tie for last place?
- This calculator removes them together. Some elections use a different rule, so check yours. If the final round is a tie, the calculator reports a tie rather than choosing a winner.
- What is an exhausted ballot?
- A ballot whose voter ranked only candidates who have all been eliminated. It leaves the count, and the majority line falls because it is calculated from the ballots still in the count.
- Does this follow my organization’s rules?
- It follows the standard single-winner procedure described on this page. Rules differ on tie-breaking, write-in candidates and how a ballot is treated when a voter skips a rank. Your bylaws or election law decide which applies, and the calculator does not know them.