A new form of deciding "tied" votes

[Lamplighter]

I have never heard of this sort of thing before.
It's a bit confusing at first but seems like a good idea in some situations.

North Carolina has 13 candidates running for a single judgeship position and
it is likely that no one will gain a majority of votes on the first election,
and so a "run off" would otherwise be necessary

N.C. debuts new ballots for midterm elections
Ballots allow second and third choice

By SETH CLINE | The Daily Tar Heel

While selecting a judge for the N.C. Court of Appeals,
voters will select their first, second and third choices for election.
<snip>
If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the first-place votes,
the second- and third-choice votes are counted for each of the top two candidates
in the final vote tally. Every ballot in the state features a section of instant runoff voting,
which is meant to eliminate the need for a second runoff election.