Is the IRV winner a true majority winner?
Since IRV uses the exact same logic as regular runoff elections, you might as well ask whether a candidate who wins a runoff election is a real majority winner. Some voters may sit out a separate runoff election, and some voters may not rank either of the finalists on an instant runoff ballot. Just as in a traditional separate runoff, one candidate ends up with a majority of votes among those voters who chose to express their preference between the finalists. Robert’s Rules of Order and the Michigan court decision that upheld the constitutionality of IRV are clear that IRV is a system to determine a majority winner in a single election. The judge in that case wrote in his decision: “Each voter has the same right at the time he casts his or her ballot.
