...Gautam Dutta, deputy director of the Political Reform Program for the non-profit New America Foundation, who was invited by Herrera to speak at the committee meeting, told the council that voter turnout increased 168 percent in San Francisco after initiating instant runoff voting.

Dutta said the voting system helps avoid the Ralph Nader or Ross Perot effect, when voters may support a third-party candidate, but don't vote for the candidate because that person is unlikely to win. Similarly, voters who support a long-shot candidate wouldn't be at risk of taking votes away from another acceptable candidate, thus placing the person they least support in office, he said.

"You know, rest assured that if that person doesn't make it and gets knocked out, your vote will automatically go to your second choice. ... That I think would make voters feel a lot more at ease about the voting process," Dutta said... LINK