Replication Data for: Start Spreading the Views: Improving Political Expression and Representation in Local Elections Using Ranked Choice Voting

Hundreds of U.S. cities have switched from single choice to ranked choice voting (RCV) systems. In allowing voters to rank multiple candidates and eliminating fears of wasting votes on less viable candidates, RCV purports to improve both political expression and representation. Realizing this potential, however, depends on voters’ willingness and ability to use their rankings. We assess these outcomes by conducting a survey with an embedded experiment during real-world elections for multiple municipal offices using RCV. We examine whether citizens’ propensity to rank multiple candidates and choose like-minded candidates (spatial voting) vary with the prestige of local offices and in response to endorsements. Political expression and spatial voting drop dramatically in local elections below mayor. Endorsements from unions and issue advocacy groups improve these outcomes for lower-level offices. These results highlight differences in the efficacy of RCV across local elections and illustrate how endorsements can help citizens navigate these challenging settings.已有数百座美国城市将投票制度从单一选择投票制改为排序选择投票制（ranked choice voting, RCV）。该制度允许选民对多名候选人进行排序，消除了选民将选票浪费在胜算较低的候选人身上的顾虑，据称可同时提升政治表达水平与选举代表性。然而，这一潜力的充分发挥，取决于选民使用排序选票的意愿与能力。本研究依托一项嵌入实验的问卷调查，在多场使用排序选择投票制的市政公职实际选举期间开展数据采集，以此评估上述两类效果。我们将考察选民的两类行为倾向：一是对多名候选人进行排序，二是选择政见相合的候选人——即空间投票（spatial voting），并检验这些倾向是否会随地方公职的层级声望发生变化，以及是否会因各类背书而产生差异。研究发现，在市长以下层级的地方选举中，政治表达与空间投票的参与度均出现大幅下滑。而工会与议题倡导团体出具的背书，则可改善低层级公职选举中的上述表现。本研究结果凸显了排序选择投票制在不同层级地方选举中的效能差异，并阐明了背书机制如何助力选民应对这类具有挑战性的选举场景。