There is an initial round of counting. If more than 2 candidates have received votes after the initial round, the Secretary of State conducts an instant run-off round. In this instant run-off round, the Secretary of State eliminates the candidate with the fewest votes. A ballot that ranks this eliminated candidate as the highest-ranked candidate is counted as a vote for the highest-ranked advancing candidate on that ballot. An advancing candidate is a candidate who has not been eliminated. This process of counting votes and eliminating the candidate with the fewest votes continues until 2 candidates remain. The candidate with the most votes is declared the winner.

For the presidential and vice-presidential elections, the instant run-off voting method is conducted to determine winners for the entire State as well as in each congressional district.