A study by Political Science Professor Caroline Tolbert and doctoral student Kellen Gracey, along with Western Washington University Professor Todd Donovan, was published in June in Electoral Studies.

The results of the study and article was cited in Scientific American in April and in Time Magazine in June.

The study is about the effects of a new voting system/electoral system used in some U.S. municipal elections designed to ensure that candidates for public office receive a majority of the votes cast. In the U.S. it is referred to as ranked choice voting (RCV). The system is also used widely in other countries, including Australia. One benefit of the preferential voting researchers found is that it improves civility in elections and reduces negative campaigning.

The Department of Political Science is part of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.