WACH-TV
February 26, 2025
Irmo passes instant runoff voting resolution
by Dejon Johnson
IRMO, S.C. (WACH) — The Town of Irmo has passed a resolution supporting Instant Runoff Voting (IRV), also known as Ranked Choice Voting, becoming the first municipality to do so.
This aims to improve elections by ensuring majority winners without the cost and logistics of traditional runoff elections.
Currently, Irmo, like 117 other South Carolina municipalities, uses plurality voting, where the candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority.
Alternatively, 150 municipalities use a majority-runoff system, which requires a runoff election if no candidate gets over 50% of the votes.
IRV allows voters to rank candidates by preference. If no candidate wins a majority, the one with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed until a candidate reaches a majority.
If the South Carolina legislature approves IRV under bill H.3589, Irmo could switch to this system, which has been shown to increase voter turnout and encourage more positive, issue-focused campaigns.
Supporters argue that IRV strengthens democracy and reduces negative campaigning, as candidates seek votes from all preferences.
This resolution reflects Irmo’s commitment to modernizing its elections and is part of a broader push to give voters more choices and a stronger voice.
“Instant runoff voting is a common sense upgrade to our elections,” said Irmo Town Councilman Erik Sickinger. “Taxpayers get a majority winner without adding any cost to the election process. Voters can have more choice and more voice by ranking their candidates without fear of vote splitting. Candidates can run on their positive vision for the future instead of slinging mud at their opponents. It changes the incentives for candidates and favors those who want to work together to improve their community.”
Irmo Town Councilman Gabriel Penfield expressed support for instant runoff voting, saying that it ensures elections reflect the true will of the people by allowing voters to rank candidates, guarantees majority support without costly runoffs, and eliminates the “lesser of two evils” dilemma. He believes this system strengthens democracy and empowers voters in Irmo.
“Instant runoff voting solves a problem for municipalities,” said President of Better Ballot SC Nicole Sanchez. “Right now municipalities have to choose between costly runoffs or risk their elected officials not securing a majority of winners, a common problem across the state. With instant runoff voting municipalities and voters get the best of both worlds: a way to efficiently find a majority winner without the drop off in voter participation and added expense.”
https://wach.com/news/local/irmo-passes-instant-runoff-voting-resolution