Ranked-choice voting (RCV/IRV/STV) ensures that the candidate who is elected has the support of the majority of voters.
Plurality voting often elects a candidate who has the support of a minority of voters. Even when a runoff is used to choose between the top two vote-getters in the general election, the candidates who advance to the runoff are often not the candidates with the broadest support across the electorate.
And ranked-choice voting removes the “spoiler” effect that currently plagues minor parties and unaffiliated candidates, who are often accused of taking votes away from one or the other of the two major parties. Wherever it is adopted, RCV allows every voter to safely support their first-choice candidate. By optionally ranking other candidates in the order of their preference, a voter ensures that if a candidate they choose is eliminated, their vote will flow to their next ranked choice in the order they specify. RCV allows every minor political party to participate equally in elections, not just FORWARD. Voters, knowing that they can rank candidates beyond their first choice, might be inspired to research candidates nominated by parties other than theirs.
And even if ranked-choice voting doesn't change an election's outcome, it does encourage officials who are elected to represent all their constituents, not just those affiliated with their party.