---
title: "What is ranked-choice voting? How ranked polls are counted"
url: "https://simplepoll.rocks/glossary/ranked-choice-voting/"
description: "In ranked-choice voting, voters order the options by preference. How instant-runoff counting finds a majority winner, and how to run a ranked poll in Slack."
---

# What is ranked-choice voting?

**Ranked-choice voting**: Ranked-choice voting asks each voter to put the options in order of preference instead of picking just one. The term usually means instant-runoff counting: the last-placed option is eliminated round by round until one option has a majority.

Also known as: ranked poll, instant-runoff voting, preferential voting.

A normal poll asks "which one?". A ranked poll asks "in what order?". That extra information
lets you find the option most of the group can get behind, even when first choices are split.

## Example polls

Paste any of these into the message box in Slack.

```text
/poll "Which project should we staff next quarter?" "Billing rewrite" "Offline mode" "Search upgrade" "Audit log" ranked close after 2 days
```

A staffing decision with four contenders, closing in two days so the result is fixed. *Premium: closing automatically.*

```text
/poll "Rank the offsite cities" "Lisbon" "Berlin" "Barcelona" ranked anonymous
```

An anonymous ranking with three options, closed by hand when everyone has voted. *Free.*

```text
/poll "What should we try first next sprint?" "Shorter standups" "No-meeting Wednesdays" "Demo every Friday" ranked close after 1 day
```

A follow-up vote on the top retro suggestions. *Premium: closing automatically.*

## How Simple Poll counts a ranked poll

Simple Poll calculates rankings with instant-runoff voting:

1. Everyone ranks the options in order of preference.
2. If one option has a majority of #1 rankings, it wins.
3. If not, the option with the fewest #1 rankings is eliminated. Voters who ranked it first
   now count for their #2 choice.
4. Rounds continue until one option has a majority.

So a voter can rank a long shot first without wasting their vote: if it's eliminated,
their next choice counts.

## When to use it

Use a ranked poll when there are three or more real options and a split first-choice vote
could hand the win to something most people don't want: picking a project to staff, a
name, an offsite city, which retro action to try first.

With two options it adds nothing; use a normal poll. If you need to know what people find
acceptable rather than their order of preference, [approval voting](https://simplepoll.rocks/glossary/approval-voting/)
is simpler for voters.

## Running one in Slack

Add `ranked` to the `/poll` text. A ranked poll needs options. Keep it to a handful:
ordering ten things is a chore, and the bottom of each ballot gets guessed.

Voters see the results only once the poll closes, so give it an end with `close after`
(Premium) or close it yourself. In a survey, a ranked question can't be optional.

## FAQ

### Does Simple Poll use instant-runoff for ranked polls?

Yes. The help centre article on ranked polls describes the rounds: a majority of #1 votes
wins, otherwise the option with the fewest #1 votes is eliminated and those votes move to
each voter's next choice.

### Why can't voters see results while a ranked poll is open?

Ranked poll results show once the poll closes. Close it with `close after` (Premium) or by
hand from the poll's **Open** button, under **Poll settings**.

### Is ranked-choice voting the same as a points system?

No. A points system (a Borda count) gives each option points by position and adds them up.
Instant-runoff eliminates options round by round until one has a majority.

## Related

- [How to create a ranked choice poll in Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-create-a-ranked-choice-poll-in-slack/): In a ranked choice poll, each person puts the options in order of preference instead of picking one. Simple Poll counts the result with instant-runoff voting, so the winner is the option with the broadest support, not just the most first choices. Ranked polls work on every plan.
- [Feature prioritization poll for Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/templates/feature-prioritization/): When you have more candidate features than capacity and need the team, or your stakeholders, to put them in order.
- [What is plurality voting?](https://simplepoll.rocks/glossary/plurality-voting/): Plurality voting gives each voter one vote, and the option with the most votes wins, even if it has less than half of them. In single-winner elections it is also called first-past-the-post.
- [What is approval voting?](https://simplepoll.rocks/glossary/approval-voting/): Approval voting lets each voter pick every option they find acceptable, as many as they like. The option with the most approvals wins.

## Sources

- [How are the rankings calculated when using rank options?](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/119-how-are-the-rankings-calculated-when-using-rank-options)
- [Wikipedia: Instant-runoff voting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant-runoff_voting)

---

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