Each voter may rank any number of choices. Votes are initially counted for each voter's top choice. If a candidate has more than half of the vote based on first-choices, that choice wins. If not, then the choice with the fewest votes is eliminated. The voters who selected the defeated choice as a first choice then have their votes added to the totals of their next choice. This process continues until a choice has more than half of the votes. When the field is reduced to two, it has become an "instant runoff" that allows a comparison of the top two choice head-to-head.