Professor McDaniel Discusses Pros, Cons of Ranked-Choice Voting

SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC PRESS -- Though the city has long used a ranked-choice voting system, prior ballots couldn’t accommodate more than three choices. Now, voters can rank up to 10. Jason McDaniel, associate professor of political science at San Francisco State University, has studied ranked-choice voting and its effect on participation. He lays out the pros and cons of the system. McDaniel says his research has found that the system causes lower voter turnout and a higher rate of ballot errors. “Ranked-choice voting in San Francisco was associated with more ballot errors, especially amongst older people and people who were less likely to speak English as their native language,” he said. “That worries me.”