Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is used in a growing set of places, including for federal races in Maine, and it changes campaign strategy in ways a texting program has to reflect. When voters rank candidates instead of choosing just one, "get my supporters to the polls" is no longer the whole game, being someone's second choice can decide the race.
The core shift, second choices matter
Under RCV, if no candidate wins a majority outright, lower-ranked votes are redistributed until someone does. That means a candidate can win on the strength of being widely acceptable, ranked second or third by supporters of eliminated candidates, even without leading the first-choice count. So a campaign isn't only mobilizing its base; it's also making the case to be a palatable backup for voters whose first choice is someone else.
What that does to your texts
Two jobs instead of one. First, the usual: turn out your first-choice supporters and make sure they rank you first. Second, a softer, broader appeal to voters aligned with a similar candidate, asking to be their second choice, which calls for a less combative tone toward candidates whose supporters you're courting. Scorched-earth attacks on a rival can cost you the second-choice votes of that rival's backers.
Educating voters on the mechanics
RCV ballots confuse voters who haven't used them, and a confused voter can spoil a ballot or stop at one choice. A real service your texts can perform is plain explanation: how to rank, that ranking others doesn't hurt their first choice, and where to vote. Clear mechanics help your supporters cast a valid, fully-ranked ballot, and reduce errors that hurt everyone.
The takeaway
In an RCV race, run the normal turnout program and add a second layer: court second-choice support with a broader, less combative appeal, and help voters understand the ballot. The candidate who's both a strong first choice and a widely acceptable second often wins where a pure base-mobilization strategy falls short.
Frequently asked questions
How does ranked-choice voting change texting strategy?
It adds a second job. Beyond turning out your first-choice supporters, you court being the second choice of voters aligned with similar candidates, since redistributed lower rankings can decide the race.
Does RCV change my tone toward rivals?
Often yes. Attacking a rival can cost you the second-choice votes of that rival's supporters, so RCV rewards a less combative posture toward candidates whose backers you're courting.
What should RCV texts explain?
The mechanics, how to rank, that ranking others doesn't hurt your first choice, and where to vote, because confused voters spoil ballots or stop at one choice, which hurts turnout and valid votes.
Message and mechanics both shift under RCV. See how to write a political text that gets read.
Keep reading: Turning out low-propensity voters and the anatomy of a great political text.