Many longtime readers know that I have a background in politics. I try to keep it non-political here and ask you to do the same, but every now and then something carries over from my past life to my present one.
I worked on a 3+ candidate primary once for Governor of Iowa. During that campaign I was introduced to the concept of Instant Runoff Voting, and I think it makes a lot of sense in situations where more than two candidates have significant support.
If you're not familiar with the concept, you can read more about it here. If that's too much reading for you, here's a quick and dirty explanation: With IRV, voters are asked to rank candidates. When the votes are counted, non-viable candidates are eliminated and their supporters are moved to their second choice until one candidate reaches 50% of the vote.
I think this produces a fairer outcome than traditional voting. It also ensures that voters whose first choice is less likely to win don't have to choose between voting for their favorite candidate and a "more viable" one.
We still have six active candidates in our "Managerial Survivor" pool. Please head over here to rank your favorites. You can rank as few or as many candidates as you'd like. I'll post the results tomorrow.