Ranked Choice Voting is Psychotic: Analyzing Election Results with Open Source Software

SF League of Pissed off Voters * www.theballot.org/2011/sf

Cohesive blocks are better able to game the system. Good training makes it possible to be strategic (see cohesive blocks) Many voters don't understand how it works. People actively try to confuse the issue to advantage their favorite candidate. Conservative candidates draw more bullet votes (so you don't rank anyone else) Sometimes ranked choice or instant runoff voting results in everyone's second choice winning. Ranked choice elections draw low turnout Public financing laws provide a gotcha – you can't drop out of the race if you're losing b/c you'd have to pay back your public financing. That leaves the ballot crowded. Some people don't like ranked choice voting b/c it relies on computers; you can't just count the cards.

You can look at how individual slates fared, which is kind of interesting.

It is easier to hand out fliers if people don't already know what you stand for.

See also: http://gitorious.org/sfelections/