C G P Grey Explains “The Alternative Vote”

Most Americans assume that the people elect their President. They do not; the States do. The people make their choice known indirectly, in the form of electors. It is an "electoral college" which chooses the President, as the framers of our Constitution wished for the smaller States to have parity with the larger, more populated States. That is how one who wins the popular vote might actually lose a Presidential election. An alternative, known as "alternative voting," or "instant-runoff voting," is already used to elect the Presidents of India and Ireland, and in legislatures of Australia, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea. In the USA, it is used in elections in five major cities. In the UK, its broader use is a hot topic.