Study by Professor McDaniel Finds Ranked Choice Voting Affects Voter Turnout

CITY LIMITS (NEW YORK) -- However, a 2016 study by Jason McDaniel, a Political Science professor at San Francisco State University, shows that voter turnout rates declined in ranked-choice voting (RCV) systems among Black and Asian portions of the electorate. Additionally, the study found, “RCV increased disparities in turnout between groups who are more likely to vote and those who are less likely to vote. The conclusion is that RCV tends to exacerbate differences between sophisticated voters and those that are less sophisticated.” According to another study by McDaniel, a reduction in polarization cannot be expected with the adoption of RCV. Allowing “voters to rank-order preferences for several candidates does not change the way that voters will develop their first preferences,” says McDaniel.