Voting systems: plurality, runoff, and ranked choice

What this voting systems quiz covers

Plurality, two-round/runoff, and ranked-choice voting can produce very different winners from the same set of voter preferences. This quiz helps you read election results, follow the counting steps, and predict incentives for candidates and voters.

Every question uses 4 options and there’s no timer, so you can slow down and verify each round of counting. Choose your question count and set difficulty to match your goal—quick practice, a full review, or mixed challenge.

Skills you’ll practice

• Identifying when plurality can elect a non-majority winner
• Spotting vote splitting and spoiler dynamics in multi-candidate races
• Running a two-round/runoff scenario and applying majority thresholds
• Executing ranked-choice (instant-runoff) elimination rounds correctly
• Comparing outcomes across systems using the same preference profile

Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

Many misses come from mixing up “most votes” with “majority,” or forgetting that rankings transfer only when a candidate is eliminated. Another frequent error is skipping a recount of totals after each runoff/RCV round, which can flip the outcome.

Difficulty and balance

Difficulty is mixed on purpose: some items check core definitions, while others require multi-step tabulation and careful reading. The set is balanced to build confidence first, then introduce trickier edge cases like ties, exhausted ballots, and close elimination margins.