Picture the following. Democrats desperately vying to replace a racist, foul-mouthed, unqualified, corrupt, norm breaking Republican supported by a hard core 40% of the electorate. The Democrats have a huge primary field with the potential nominees competing over who is the most progressive among them who is also the most electable against the racist Republican.
Do you picture crowded debate stages and a nasty, negative primary? Do you picture attack ads between Democrats that strengthen the hands of a loathsome Republican? Do you picture one candidate winning the nomination with less than 30% of the vote? Do you picture a divided Democratic Party? If you do, you are mistaken.
In this primary progressives actually run ads with their opponents. In this primary the Democrats unite behind the candidate who wins a clear majority of their vote. Someone who may not have been everyone’s first choice, but was at least their second or third. In this election third parties aren’t a threat in the general, but an option to select while also selecting the Democrat as a fallback to stop the racist Republican.
Sound like Disneyland? More like Vacationland, and it could be coming to the Bay State with your help. Ranked choice voting is the most democratic way to select candidates and the best way to ensure extremists and racists are shut out of our politics for good. It’s time e every Democrat supports it.
James, can you please add the Voter Choice MA link to your post? I encourage everyone to sign up to volunteer or donate! We are trying to get RCV as a ballot question in November 2020, to take effect in 2022.
Just did! Thanks!
We had 103 out of 160 state representatives, 34 out of 40 state senators, and four out of nine members of Congress unopposed in last November’s election. Ranked-choice voting might be fun and trendy, but it lacks a certain charm when you are ranking only one candidate.
Ranked choice voting is nothing more than a solution in search of a problem.
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/lets-get-off-the-ranked-choice-bandwagon/
I would argue we would have more contested elections locally if we had ranked choice voting and it would likely help create a strong multiparty democracy both locally and nationally. It would help progressive candidates from dividing the vote and help more women and people of color get elected.
The Brockton special election to replace Rep. Brady in a majority minority district came down to a white candidate and two women of color. The women of color together had 60% of the vote while the white male had 40%. In first past the post, the white candidate wins. In ranked choice, the women could have campaigned collaboratively.
In the 2014 MA gubernatorial primary the nominee was selected in another three way primary with 40% of the vote. Had that been a ranked choice election, the nominee would have been selected by a majority of Democrats and been in a stronger position to beat Charlie Baker.
Revere’s state senate district is ably represented by Joe Boncore, but he also was elected with a plurality in a five way primary. It is also ably represented by Katherine Clark, but she also won a five way primary with a small plurality. Rep. Trahan won a 12 way primary by fewer than 150 votes. Ranked choice voting would have selected a nominee the majority of the Democrats in that district wanted and avoided a costly and bitter recount.
Why are the Greens in Germany and the rest of Europe a grown up party free of Russian interference and cult like behavior? Because they participate in multiparty coalitions. It’s why the Dutch and Germans have held back the right wing populist tide in Europe. France uses runoff elections too, theirs are more expensive and cumbersome than ranked choice, but have also shut Le Pen out of government time and time again.
Trump won with a minority of the popular vote in both the GOP primary as well as the general election. Ranked choice voting in the 2016 GOP primary would likely have resulted in a different candidate-60% of GOP voters selected someone else.
If a national first past the post primary were held today Joe Biden would be the nominee with 30% of the vote, and 70% of Democrats selecting someone else.
These are all clear examples where ranked choice voting would have made a decisive difference in ensuring voters preferences were honored and a candidate truly representing a majority of voters was picked. It makes it harder for extremists to enter the mainstream political arena or dominate party primaries.
It is not a trend but the method supported by a majority of American political scientists that has produced the most democratic parliaments abroad. First past the post is a relic of a bygone era when the franchise was limited and candidates were selected in smoke filled rooms. If we really want a representative democracy we should choose ranked choice.