How to Make a Google Form for Rank Choice Voting?

January 8, 2025 |

5 min read

by Harish Kumar

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is a voting system where voters rank their favorite options in order, first choice, second choice, third choice, and so on.

It’s different from traditional voting, where you pick only one. RCV makes voting fairer and smarter.

RCV is now used by nearly 14 million people in 51 areas across the U.S., with over 800 elections held since 2004.

In this post, you’ll learn how to create a ranked choice voting form in both Google Forms and Formester. And also learn how to calculate them using Google Sheets.

How Ranked Choice Voting Works?

Ranked Choice Voting works like this:

Voters rank the options (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.).
First-choice votes are counted. If one option has over 50%, it wins.
If no option has a majority, the lowest-ranked option is eliminated.
Votes for the eliminated option move to the next-ranked choice.
This process repeats until one option gets more than 50%.

Why Use Ranked Choice Voting?

No wasted votes: Even if your favorite option loses, your vote still matters.
Reflects true preferences: It considers everyone’s top picks and backups.
Works for many choices: It’s perfect when you have multiple options to decide from.

Examples of RCV in Action

Leadership selection: Teams can pick leaders that everyone supports.
Work prioritization: Focus on tasks that matter most to the group.
Awards and contests: Ensure the best entry wins fairly.

RCV helps make better decisions, respects everyone’s voice, and finds solutions with broad support.

How to Use Google Forms and Sheets for Ranked Choice Voting (RCV)

Here's how you can set it up step by step:

Define Your Goal

Start by deciding why you're using RCV. Ask yourself:

What decision are you making?
Who will vote?

Examples:

Choosing a team leader.
Picking a contest winner.
Prioritizing projects or ideas.

Be clear about your purpose, it helps you set up the voting form correctly.

Open Google Forms and start with a blank form.
Add a "Multiple Choice Grid" question:
Rows: List your options (e.g., Candidate A, Candidate B).
Columns: Add rankings (e.g., 1st choice, 2nd choice).
Make sure to toggle on the “Require a response in each row”
Add clear instructions like "Rank each option once. No duplicates."
Share the form via email, group chats, or QR code.
Integrate the Google Form with Google Sheets.

How to Create a Ranked Choice Voting Form in Formester?

Log in to Formester and start a new form.
Add a "Ranking" field
List your options (e.g., Candidate A, Candidate B, Candidate C).
Allow voters to rank each option by dragging or selecting their choices in order of preference.
Add a clear description, like "Rank each option from highest to lowest preference."
Use Formester’s sharing options like email links, embedding on a website, or generating QR codes.
Integrate the Formester form with google sheets.

How to Calculate Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) Results in Google Sheets

Once you’ve collected votes using RCV form, it’s time to calculate the results. Google Sheets makes this easy with a step-by-step approach.

Import Responses into Google Sheets

Start by getting the data into Sheets:

Export responses: In Google Forms, click the “Responses” tab and then “View in Sheets.”
Save a backup: Duplicate the sheet to keep the original data safe. Work on the copy to avoid accidental changes.

Determine the Winning Threshold

You need to calculate the number of votes a candidate needs to win:

Formula: Majority = Total votes ÷ 2 + 1 (50% + 1 rule).

Examples: If there are 100 votes, the threshold is 51. For 25 votes, the threshold is 13.

Calculate Round 1 Results

Here’s how to calculate the first round:

Convert rankings to numbers: Use “Find and Replace” to replace text-based rankings (e.g., “1st choice”) with numbers (1, 2, etc.).
Tally votes: Use the SUM function to add up the first-choice votes for each candidate.
Highlight the lowest scorer: Identify the candidate with the fewest votes.

Perform Eliminations and Redistributions

When no one meets the threshold, eliminate the lowest candidate and redistribute their votes:

Replace eliminated votes: Change the eliminated candidate’s votes to 0.
Redistribute votes: Move these votes to each voter’s next ranked choice.
Track each round: Duplicate the sheet for every round so you can see the progress.

Repeat Until a Winner Emerges

Continue the process until someone hits the winning threshold:

If a majority is reached: Declare the winner!
If no majority: Check for “exhausted votes” (votes without further rankings) and continue.

Best Practices

Handling Ties:

Simple methods: Flip a coin or eliminate all tied candidates.
Advanced methods: Compare first-rank votes or use a Borda count (assign points for rankings).

Exhausted Votes:

Why it happens: Voters didn’t rank enough choices.
How to avoid it: Encourage ranking all options when setting up your form.

Challenges and Tips:

Larger datasets: Handling many votes can be time-consuming.
Pro Tip: Use automation tools or RCV add-ons for Google Sheets to speed up the process.

Conclusion

Ranked Choice Voting is a powerful way to make fair decisions that reflect everyone’s preferences.

Whether you’re using Formester, Google Forms, or other tools, the process becomes simple and effective when done right.

By allowing voters to rank options and redistributing votes until a clear winner emerges, RCV promotes inclusivity and reduces wasted votes. Formester makes creating and managing RCV forms seamless, ensuring you save time while achieving accurate results.

Sign up to Formester and start using RCV today for smarter, more democratic decision-making in your organization or community!

How to Make a Google Form for Rank Choice Voting?