One last post as I wrap up regular blogging this week, from the Los Angeles Times:

Also called instant-runoff voting and ranked-choice voting, the preferential ballot is an electoral system used in places around the world — including in New York City — for elections with more than two candidates. Each voter ranks his or her choices, rather than choosing only one to be the winner.

The thinking behind the system is to ensure that each ballot will have maximum influence, putting a premium on the choices that voters rank near the top.