Primary definition
Electoral systems in which voters rank parties or candidates on the ballot paper in order of their choice. The Alternative Vote, the Borda Count, the Single Transferable Vote and the Supplementary Vote are all examples of preferential voting systems.
Also known asranked-choice voting · instant-runoff voting · IRV · STV · single transferable vote · alternative vote · AV · supplementary vote · Borda count · ranked voting
1 sources cited4 related termsReviewed Aug 9, 2026
— ACE Electoral Systems GlossaryView source
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ACE
Electoral systems in which voters rank parties or candidates on the ballot paper in order of their choice. The Alternative Vote, the Borda Count, the Single Transferable Vote and the Supplementary Vote are all examples of preferential voting systems.
ACE Electoral Systems Glossary · 2024
Cite this term
Permanent URL · stable across revisions
Election Security Glossary. (2026). Preferential Voting Systems. In Election Security Glossary. Retrieved August 22, 2026, from https://electionsecurityglossary.com/glossary/preferential-voting-systems
Sources
1 cited · last checked Aug 9, 2026
01
ACE Electoral Systems Glossary
ACE Electoral Systems Glossary
Single-source
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