A Fairer, More Representative

Way to Elect Our Leaders.

Consensus Choice Voting ensures that every vote carries the same weight and that winning candidates are accountable to all voters—not just the loudest faction.

Instead of being forced to pick just one candidate, voters rank their choices, and the results are determined by comparing candidates one-on-one. This process rewards candidates who balance the views of voters and discourages divisive, extremist candidates.

HOW CONSENSUS CHOICE VOTING WORKS

Step 1: Candidates from all parties compete in an open qualifying race.

An open qualifying election—without party restrictions—determines at least four of the strongest candidates who advance to the general election.  The general election may often feature more than one candidate from each of the major parties.

Step 2: Voters rank candidates in order of preference.

In the general election, voters rank candidates in order of preference—1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on.

Voters don’t have to rank every candidate, but ranking more candidates allows the voter to reward less divisive and more balanced candidates in the opposition party.

Step 3: Candidates are compared one-on-one.

Once all ballots have been cast, candidates are compared one-on-one, in a manner similar to a round-robin sports tournament. Consensus Choice Voting asks:

  • If it were just Ann vs. Bob, who would win?

  • If it were just Carol vs. David, who would win?

  • And so on for every candidate pair.

The voter’s rankings are used to determine the winner of each one-on-one comparison. For example, if a voter ranks Ann above Bob, then the voter's ballot counts for Ann in her one-on-one comparison with Bob. If a majority of voters rank Ann over Bob, then Ann wins that matchup.

Step 4: The candidate who defeats every other candidate wins the election.

The winning candidate is the candidate who defeats every other candidate head-to-head. This ensures that the winner is someone who balances the views of the electorate—not just a narrow group of partisans. In Consensus Choice Voting, the winner is the consensus choice of the voters.

For example, if Carol wins her matchups against Ann, Bob, and David, then Carol is the winner. No matter who she is compared against, a majority of voters prefer her—making her the Consensus Choice.

WHY CONSENSUS CHOICE VOTING IS BETTER

  • The Consensus Choice candidate defeats every other candidate one-on-one. This is different from current plurality and Instant Runoff systems, where the winner might be unpopular when compared one-on-one to other candidates.

  • Candidates must win support from all sides to succeed—not just from their party’s base. This discourages extremism and division.

  • By rewarding collaboration over division, Consensus Choice Voting ensures that our leaders represent all of us—not just the loudest factions.

  • Voters can rank candidates honestly because the Consensus Choice winner is determined by direct head-to-head comparisons based on the voters' preferences. It is impossible for a voter's second or third choice to affect their first choice in any of their head-to-head comparisons.

  • No more “spoiler candidates” or similar candidates splitting the vote. Consensus Choice Voting prevents spoiler candidates because it compares every candidate directly against each other. This means that a losing candidate's presence in the election won't cause a superior candidate to lose, so candidates are free to run without worries of "spoiling" the election.