Under Instant Runoff Voting, which statement accurately describes what happens when no candidate has a majority after the initial count?

• A. The second round is scheduled between the top two candidates.
• B. A new election is called with fresh ballots.
• C. The top candidate is declared winner if they reach a simple majority in the initial count.
• D. The lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated and their votes redistributed to the next preferences, continuing until a majority is reached.

Answer: (D)

Instant Runoff Voting resolves contests by using iterative elimination and redistribution. Ballots are first counted by each ballot’s top choice; if no candidate has more than half of the active ballots, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. All ballots that ranked that candidate first are redistributed to each voter's next preferred candidate, and this step is repeated: eliminate the lowest, redistribute those ballots, and continue until someone has a majority of the active votes. Some ballots may become exhausted if there are no remaining preferences, but the process continues with the still-active ballots until a winner emerges with a majority. In the scenario described, that gradual elimination and redistribution until a majority is reached is exactly what happens.