By Doug Goodman -Founder & Executive Director Nevadans for Election Reform
How can a candidate or candidates (in multi-winner races) win when more voters voted for other candidates? In what is commonly referred to as “first past the post” (FPTP) elections, the election method most commonly used throughout the United States, it happens all the time.
A widely held perception is that if the winner has the most votes that means they received a majority of votes. Most voters would be upset if they realized the winner or winners actually received less than a majority, sometimes far less.
During the 2020 election cycle; primary election in June and general election in November, 69 races in Nevada (20 general, 49 primary) were won by candidates who did not get a majority of the votes; more votes cast against them, or who, in multi-winner races, did not receive enough votes so that no other candidate could not have beaten them. The low number of votes needed to win is especially noticeable in local races. (See tables below)
If you believe this is wrong, that the winner of any election should always have the majority of votes or enough votes in a multi-winner race to not be able to be beaten, it can be changed. By allowing voters to vote for more than one candidate, marking their ballot in order of preference for each candidate; first choice, second choice, third choice, and so on, ranked choice voting (RCV) ensures only the candidate(s) receiving a majority of the votes or meeting the required threshold in multi-winner elections are elected.
What about those 69 races? The tables below show for both the general and primary election, the race, the number of seats being filled, the number of candidates, the percent of the vote received by the winner(s), and under RCV, the percentage needed to win. For seats where there was only one winner, this is 50 percent plus one vote. For multi-winner races the percentage required ensures no other candidate could have enough votes to win. Percentages in red met the RCV threshold meaning the candidate would have won if RCV had been used.
More information about this process and how you can get involved to ensure those we elect to represent us at all levels of government have the broadest support can be found here, here, and here.
General Election
| Race | Number of Seats | Number of Candidates | Winner Percent of Vote Received | Percent Required to Win (+1) |
| CD 3 | 1 | 4 | 48.75 | 50 |
| SD 5 | 1 | 3 | 48.75 | 50 |
| Wells City Council | 3 | 8 | 24.28 17.42 15.47 | 25 |
| West Wendover City Council | 2 | 4 | 29.1 28.24 | 33 |
| Elko City Council | 2 | 4 | 33.9 28.54 | 33 |
| Crescent Valley Town Advisory Board | 3 | 4 | 31.04 28.02 22.53 | 25 |
| Winnemucca City Council | 1 | 3 | 45.54 | 50 |
| North Lyon County Fire District Director | 3 | 6 | 22.18 19.28 16.16 | 25 |
| Fernley Swimming Pool District Director | 3 | 5 | 22.66 22.59 22.31 | 25 |
| Mineral County Commission Seat B | 1 | 3 | 41.71 | 50 |
| Amargosa Valley Town Board | 3 | 5 | 24.13 21.95 21.23 | 25 |
| Lovelock Meadows Water District Trustee | 2 | 4 | 33.61 28.56 | 33 |
| Incline Village GED | 3 | 6 | 21.88 20.96 19.85 | 25 |
| Palomino Valley GID | 3 | 6 | 22.53 20.76 17.85 | 25 |
| Laughlin Town Advisory Board | 5 | 10 | 13.12 12.9 12.39 11.09 10.14 | 17 |
| Skyland GID | 5 | 8 | 15.3 13.7 12.9 12.21 11.87 | 17 |
| Topaz Ranch Estates GID | 2 | 4 | 30.63 27.42 | 33 |
| Indian Hills GID | 3 | 4 | 30.27 27.32 24.52 | 25 |
| Minden-Gardnerville Sanitation District | 3 | 4 | 38.8 25.44 23.26 | 25 |
| Round Hill GID | 3 | 4 | 34.93 34.5 19.36 | 25 |
Primary Election
| Race | Number of Seats | Number of Candidates | Winner Percent of Vote Received | Percent Required to Win (+1) |
| CD 1 Republican | 1 | 4 | 35.65 | 50 |
| CD 2 Democratic | 1 | 7 | 48.9 | 50 |
| CD 3 Republican | 1 | 6 | 49.82 | 50 |
| CD 4 Republican | 1 | 8 | 34.75 | 50 |
| District Court Judge Dist 8 Dept 11 Family Div | 2 | 3 | 44.96 31.35 | 33 |
| District Court Judge Dist 8 Dept 2 | 2 | 3 | 39.69 32.02 | 33 |
| District Court Judge Dist 8 Dept 5 | 2 | 4 | 40.57 29.34 | 33 |
| District Court Judge Dist 8 Dept 19 | 2 | 3 | 45.52 29.28 | 33 |
| District Court Judge Dist 8 Dept 21 | 2 | 4 | 37.51 30.05 | 33 |
| District Court Judge Dist 8 Dept 23 | 2 | 4 | 34.21 32.35 | 33 |
| District Court Judge Dist 8 Dept 24 | 2 | 5 | 32.13 23.41 | 33 |
| District Court Judge Dist 8 Dept I Family Div | 2 | 3 | 42.37 32.13 | 33 |
| District Court Judge Dist 8 Dept M Family Div | 2 | 4 | 32.51 28.24 | 33 |
| District Court Judge Dist 8 Dept T Family Div | 2 | 3 | 46.2 32.37 | 33 |
| District Court Judge Dist 8 Dept Z Family Div | 2 | 4 | 40.86 24.01 | 33 |
| AD 2 Democratic | 1 | 4 | 35.76 | 50 |
| AD 2 Republican | 1 | 5 | 47.88 | 50 |
| AD 5 Republican | 1 | 3 | 49.6 | 50 |
| AD 7 Democratic | 1 | 3 | 38.27 | 50 |
| AD 18 Democratic | 1 | 4 | 39.43 | 50 |
| AD 20 Democratic | 1 | 4 | 46.47 | 50 |
| AD 37 Republican | 1 | 4 | 48.98 | 50 |
| AD 40 Democratic | 1 | 3 | 47.09 | 50 |
| Board of Regents Dist 3 | 2 | 4 | 31.44 23.79 | 33 |
| Board of Regents Dist 10 | 2 | 5 | 28.36 21.86 | 33 |
| State Board of Education Dist 1 | 2 | 5 | 37.69 23.97 | 33 |
| Carson City Board of Supervisors Ward 2 | 2 | 4 | 34.69 30.88 | 33 |
| Clark County Commission Dist C Democratic | 1 | 6 | 38.28 | 50 |
| Clark County Commission Dist D Democratic | 1 | 7 | 42.66 | 50 |
| Clark County School District A | 2 | 8 | 26.09 18.97 | 33 |
| Clark County School District B | 2 | 8 | 23.92 18.69 | 33 |
| Clark County School District C | 2 | 7 | 21.08 20.34 | 33 |
| Clark County School District E | 2 | 7 | 21.6 17.5 | 33 |
| Indian Hills GID | 4 | 5 | 30.97 20.95 18.46 15.29 | 20 |
| Topaz Ranch Estates GID | 4 | 4 | 22.51 16.27 15.5 14.75 | 20 |
| Humboldt County Commission Seat A Republican | 1 | 3 | 44.42 | 50 |
| Humboldt County Commission Seat B Republican | 1 | 5 | 38.56 | 50 |
| Lander County Commission Dist 4 Republican | 1 | 4 | 31.51 | 50 |
| North Lyon County Fire District Dir | 6 | 7 | 21.42 18.34 16.7 12.73 12.17 10.74 | 15 |
| Fernley City Council Ward 2 | 2 | 4 | 31.86 30.7 | 33 |
| Fernley City Council Ward 5 | 2 | 4 | 44.95 24.2 | 33 |
| Nye County Commission Dist 1 Republican | 1 | 5 | 27.25 | 50 |
| Nye County Commission Dist 3 Republican | 1 | 4 | 39.44 | 50 |
| Nye County School District Area VI | 2 | 4 | 43.79 23.5 | 33 |
| Washoe County School District G | 2 | 5 | 43.6 24.43 | 33 |
| Palomino Valley GID | 6 | 7 | 19.39 19.3 17.22 15.52 13.15 10.6 | 15 |
| Reno City Council At Large | 2 | 4 | 48 29.95 | 33 |
| Sparks City Council Ward 3 | 2 | 5 | 44.49 19.27 | 33 |
| Washoe County School District A | 2 | 5 | 33.35 22.97 | 33 |
For Judicial races, if a candidate receives over 50 percent in the primary, they advance to the general election unopposed. If no candidate receives 50 percent, the top two advance to the general election
For Nonpartisan races, if a candidate receives over 50 percent in the primary, they are elected and do not appear on the general election ballot. If no candidate receives 50 percent, the top two advance to the general election
In the primary election for multi-seat races, if the number of candidates is more than twice the number of seats being contested, the number of candidates advancing to the general election is twice the number of seats available.