PEW STATELINE/ASSOCIATED PRESS -- Some election experts worry that voters will be dissuaded by the perception that ranked-choice voting is complex. Jason McDaniel, an associate professor of Political Science at San Francisco State University, found in several studies that there is a statistically significant drop in voter participation in the first two mayoral elections after adopting ranked-choice voting. He is preparing to release new findings in the coming months that, he argues, corroborate his previous studies.
While the dip in participation eventually recovers in the third ranked-choice election, his research shows, McDaniel worries some local election officials may underestimate voters’ doubts.
“If it sticks around long enough, people will get used to it,” he said. “It’s not the worst thing in the world. But I have some skepticism for it.”