How to Set Up and Run an Election or Poll with RCV123

You can run a ranked choice voting (RCV) election or poll on RCV123.org by setting up a ballot, sharing it with voters, tracking ballots as they come in, and then using the vote counting tools to see results. This works for any election, poll, or group decision, and RCV123 describes itself as a non-profit focused on ranked choice voting education that makes it easy for organizations to conduct secure RCV elections. You don't need an account to set up a ballot, but signing in (or creating a free account) is what lets you track your ballots and access all features.

Before you start

Decide two things first:

• What you're deciding — a candidate election, a poll, or a group decision. RCV123 supports all three.
• Who votes and how — a shared link that anyone can open, or a more controlled setup where you import a specific voter list.

If you want ballot tracking and the full feature set, plan to sign in or create a free account. If you just want to try a quick poll, you can start from "Set up ballot" without one.

Step 1: Set up the ballot

1. Go to RCV123.org and choose Set up ballot.
2. Add your candidates or options. These are the choices voters will rank.
3. Configure the ballot so it matches your decision — for example, how many rankings a voter can submit.

The expected result is a finished ballot you can share. If you're unsure how ranking should be presented to voters, RCV123 provides Sample ballots you can look at before finalizing yours.

Step 2 (optional): Build the ballot from a spreadsheet or Google Classroom

Instead of typing options by hand, you can bring them in:

• Spreadsheet upload — prepare your candidates/options in a spreadsheet and upload it.
• Google Classroom & Forms import — pull in a ballot from Google Classroom & Forms.

Use these when you already have your options or voter data in a structured file and want to avoid re-entering it. If your options are few and simple, manual setup is faster.

Step 3: Share the ballot and collect votes

Once the ballot exists, share its link so participants can vote. Voters rank the options in their order of preference rather than picking just one.

If you signed in, you can track your ballots and monitor progress as votes come in. This is the main reason to create an account: without it, you lose the tracking and full-feature access.

Step 4: Count the votes and read the results

When voting closes, use the vote counting feature to tally the rankings and produce the result. RCV123 also offers an RCV calculator, which is useful if you want to run the ranked choice math on its own — for example, to check a result or work through a set of rankings separately from a live ballot.

What RCV123 gives you at a glance

Common sticking points

• Skipping sign-in. You can set up a ballot without an account, but tracking ballots and accessing all features requires signing in or creating a free account. Decide this early so you don't lose tracking mid-election.
• Not checking a sample first. If your voters are new to ranking, review a Sample ballots example so the instructions you give them match what they'll actually see.
• Forgetting the counting step. Setting up and sharing the ballot doesn't produce a winner on its own — you still run the vote counting (or the RCV calculator) at the end.

If you want the background on how the ranking and counting actually work before you build anything, RCV123's Help, Instructions, and Frequently asked questions sections cover the method, and the site also discusses the pros and cons of RCV.