PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. -- If you thought it was only in Chicago that you get to vote twice, think again. In some local county races this year, you get to vote three times.

"It's going to be great, and I think the voters are going to love it," said Kelly Haughton, who came up with the plan and sold it to the voters.

Voters in Pierce County are going to receive two ballots whether they vote by mail or vote at the polls. One ballot includes Obama and McCain and Gregoire and Rossi. Here you get one vote.

There's a second ballot for Pierce County officials. Here you select a first choice, and a second, and a third.

Election specialist Rebecca Brauhn says what happens next is low man out.

"And then the algorithm will look at the voter's second choice," she said.

Bet you never thought you'd hear algorithm on a newscast. Here's what it means.

If someone gets more than 50 percent, he or she is elected. If not, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and the second-place votes are distributed. A winner emerges.

The downside -- rather than 450,000 ballots, there are 900,000. Counting them will be a pain.

Pierce County Auditor Pat McCarthy said it will take "two shifts of 12 hours for the first week that we run elections."

And yes, it is going to cost the people of Pierce county a couple of bucks, an estimated $2 million.

If you think this is really wacko, hold on to your pen. Haughton says he's trying to convince the Legislature and King County.

So what's the benefit? Haughton says consider Florida and Ralph Nader. With ranked-choice voting, Nader would have been eliminated. His votes would have gone to the second choice. All those Bush-Gore lawsuits could have been avoided.

Pierce County warns vote counting will be slower than usual. The winners, even the leaders in close county races, might not known until the end of the election week.