Mukilteo Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

I recently faced a challenge. My 5-year-old daughter was adamant that I purchase her Iced Oatmeal Z Bars from the store, but they were out. I FaceTimed her and conveyed the bad news. Rather than having an embarrassing meltdown, she simply asked for a different snack from the shelf.

Ranking our preferences is something we do every day. It is simple enough for a 5-year-old, and adults can easily apply this principle when it comes to voting.

Ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank candidates based on their preferences. Voters see a list of candidates and choose their first choice, second c...