This needs to be seriously considered as a national or state-by-state voting method. 30% of the electoral college is going to vote for a candidate who didn't receive a real majority (more than half) of the popular votes within their state. RCV would keep the popular vote winner from losing the electoral college, would give 3rd parties a bigger voice, would negate the 3rd party spoiler effect, and effectively end the "protest vote."

https://www.facebook.com/RankTheVote/

11/18/2016 3:40:02 PM

In theory, it's a good idea. In practice, expect some weird results since a lot of people can't follow instructions and don't know that the winner isn't just determined by the number of first place votes.

11/18/2016 3:51:18 PM

It will take some getting used to, but ultimately it's the best solution to handle the growing divide in political philosophies. Imagine if this was around back when there were 4 major candidates, and you only need 25% of the popular vote to become president.

11/18/2016 3:53:03 PM

the typical liberal "voters are dumb and incapable" comment already showed up

11/19/2016 6:09:59 AM

Voters are dumb, just look at fucking California and the hash the voters have made of that state's finances via referendums.

The stupidity of the voters is why we aren't a democracy to begin with.

I'm in favor of just about anything that has the potential to break the grip that the two parties have over American politics.

11/19/2016 9:41:08 AM

^^ Are you seriously going to deny the fact that when Jean Quan was elected mayor of Oakland, people had no idea how she was able to win? Bitch, please.

11/19/2016 12:59:09 PM

I'm for it. Why not? I mean could we really do any worse?

11/19/2016 1:18:37 PM

100 people are ordering pizza from a place that says you all have to get the same kind of pizza, and the options are Meat, Veggie, or Plain Cheese. So a vote is taken of what kind of pizza to get.

It's common knowledge that Pepperoni and Plain Cheese are the two most popular pizza orders, and most people will choose one or the other. There are also plenty of people who want veggies on their pizza.

A certain block of vegetarians are having trouble deciding how to vote. One in particular likes having toppings over Plain Cheese, but he's worried that if he doesn't support the Plain Cheese voters, Pepperoni might win. If Pepperoni wins, he'll either have to go hungry or be forced to act against his values. But if he votes Cheese and not Veggie, he's worried Veggie won't even be an option in the future.

The results:
Pepperoni 46
Cheese 44
Veggie 10

Now everyone has to get pepperoni, even though more than half of the people wanted something different. The vote counter realizes this is unfair, and holds a 2nd vote. This time, Veggie will not be an option since it clearly cannot win. Some of the previous Veggie voters switch to Pepperoni because they enjoy having toppings, but most of them are vegetarian and switch their vote to Cheese.

New results:
Pepperoni 49
Cheese 51

Now an actual majority of the voters chose the winning pizza, and no one is stuck with a pizza they can't eat. Additionally, the minority vegetarian voice was still heard without being a "spoiler" for those who preferred Cheese from the start.

In a Presidential election, holding an actual runoff would take too much time and money. Instant runoffs held through Ranked Choice Voting negate those roadblocks.

11/29/2016 8:43:19 PM

Ranked choice voting is fairer in literally every way than FPtP. It's only inertia and the fact that entrenched parties have built their entire machinery around the current system and any changes require rebuilding this machinery.

11/29/2016 9:54:45 PM

^^ The Primaries are the first round of run off voting. We make it weird because we force people to pick which category of candidates they're allowed to vote for ahead of time, but otherwise it is the same as a run-off election.

Vegan Pizza runs on the Dem ballot against Cheese. Cheese won after a coup by Super Delegates.
Supreme Pizza ran on the Rep ballot against Pepperoni and 3-Meat Pizza. Pepperoni won handily despite Supreme Pizza spending several times more money.

Come November, Dem Cheese ran against Rep Pepperoni. Cheese won the popular vote by 1.9%, but Pepperoni took the electoral college 306 to 232.

The vegetarians and vegans had to starve or abandon their beliefs. Which is why we don't use elections to decide anything actually important, such as what's for dinner.

[Edited on November 29, 2016 at 10:25 PM. Reason : .,.]

11/29/2016 10:18:29 PM

^If every candidate was running in the same primary and then only the top 2 were voted on in November, then sure. That's exactly how California ran it's election for US Senator and the November vote was between 2 Democrats. Then the Republicans got to choose the Democrat they hated less.

The main reason RCV is necessary is to enhance the electoral college. It's not about a runoff of the popular vote, it's about a runoff within each state. Because winning 47% of Michigan voters shouldn't give Trump 16 electoral votes and 46% of Minnesota voters shouldn't get Hillary 10.

Here's a fun fact: Hillary won a higher percentage of votes in 4 states she lost than she did in NH and MN, where she won. Which states were those 4? Only the most important pieces of Trump's victory. FL, PA, WI, MI. She received 48% in Florida and lost, while Trump received 46% in Utah and won.

[Edited on November 30, 2016 at 2:12 AM. Reason : -]

11/30/2016 2:11:17 AM

I wish they could find a way to make the primaries all on the same date for every state and maybe just have 3 rounds or something to get it down to 1 from each party.

11/30/2016 10:22:09 AM

Given Americans' affinity for reality television, I think we just need to be more innovative and double down on the prevailing model of picking a winner. What should happen is that a zany cast of celebrities and attractive politicians must audition in front of a panel of three judges: two washed up politicians trying to revive their scandalous careers, and a witty immigrant musician that's old, crotchety, and white (preferably from the UK). During their auditions, they'll have three minutes to deliver the best sounding talking points and empty promises to improve the US, while the judges deliver hilarious quips and one-liners about them as the audience goes wild. After the top 10 candidates are selected, they'll be flown to Hollywood and live in a huge house without TVs, phones, or Wifi, while thousands of cameras record their every move. Hanky-panky amongst the candidates will inevitably ensure. The American people will then call in, text, or vote online as many times for the candidate they want voted OUT of the house. When the final three candidates are left, they'll be dumped on a tropical island without any survival supplies and they will have to engage in a battle of wits and brawn, and face a tribal counsel filled with all of the newfound enemies from earlier in the season. During this extended two hour reunion, previous footage from earlier in the season will be used to create a colorful montage of backstabbing and heighten the excitement. After a loud, long, and childish shouting match is resolved with heartfelt apologies, excessive crying, and awkward hugs, the president-elect will finally be revealed to the American public. The new president will then drive back to the White House in a fully loaded Kia Optima.

[Edited on November 30, 2016 at 11:14 AM. Reason : .]

11/30/2016 11:13:14 AM

^^RCV is just as important for primaries as it is for the general. More people were against Trump than for Trump in the primaries, but

^So that's the thing about those performance-based reality TV shows and public voting...they eliminate one at a time and the public gets to vote again based on who is remaining.

RCV is exactly that but you cast all of your votes at the same time.

11/30/2016 3:50:07 PM

never seen this thread before


oh wait...about every four years

11/30/2016 10:12:16 PM

I'm in it for the long run. Now that Maine has officially paved the way we have to push it farther.

12/1/2016 1:55:18 AM

https://www.theassemblync.com/politics/elections/ranked-choice-votingnorth-carolina-elections/

5/23/2024 10:45:48 AM

https://www.betterballotnc.org/ is working on bringing it back to NC


[Edited on May 23, 2024 at 11:31 AM. Reason : also the top priority of the NC (and national) Forward Party]

5/23/2024 11:30:43 AM

I'm not sure how I feel about RCV. What do you guys think

5/23/2024 1:20:00 PM

Got to be better than first past the post. Our current system isn't working.

5/23/2024 3:16:56 PM

https://fairvoteaction.org/ranked-choice-voting-act-introduced-in-congress/

Quote :

"Today, Reps. Jamie Raskin (MD-8) and Don Beyer (VA-8), along with Sen. Peter Welch (VT), introduced the Ranked Choice Voting Act in Congress. This landmark legislation would institute ranked choice voting (RCV) for all primary and general elections for the U.S. House and Senate beginning in 2028. Ask your members of Congress to support the RCV Act here. Ranked choice voting is the nation’s fastest-growing election reform, used in public elections for all voters in 50 cities, counties, and states. RCV has won in 27 city ballot measures in a row, and with RCV on the ballot in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon, the number of states using it could triple this fall. Voters love RCV because it delivers better choices, better campaigns, and better governance. It discourages negative campaigning, and ensures winners have majority support. Several candidates can compete for a seat without fear of splitting the vote or playing “spoiler,” which opens our politics to new voices. Voters can rank their preferences honestly, instead of worrying about wasting their vote or having to vote for the “lesser of two evils.” RCV already has a proven record in congressional elections. Maine has used it for congressional primaries and general elections since 2018, and Alaska has used it for general elections since 2022. Six Southern states – Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina – send ranked choice ballots to military and overseas voters so they can participate in runoffs. The RCV Act would save states tens of millions of dollars by replacing runoffs with RCV, and would provide funds to states for voter education and RCV implementation. Reps. Dan Goldman (NY-10), Derek Kilmer (WA-6), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Seth Moulton (MA-6), and Scott Peters (CA-50) are cosponsoring the RCV Act. FairVote Action is excited to work with Rep. Raskin, Rep. Beyer, Rep. Goldman, Rep. Kilmer, Rep. Lee, Rep. Moulton, Rep. Peters, and Sen. Welch to build support for the RCV Act in Congress!"

9/14/2024 10:25:45 AM

I support it.

9/14/2024 10:51:27 AM

I feel like due to all the states that enact this being red states other than maine, there must be some reason this is preferred on the right and therefore I am inclined to not want to go this route. Like theoretically it should be great, but in reality it sucks

[Edited on September 14, 2024 at 10:58 AM. Reason : Just my thought process I guess. Haven't really heard the pundits talk about it]

9/14/2024 10:56:20 AM

you've got it backwards

https://www.npr.org/2024/06/05/nx-s1-4969563/ranked-choice-voting-bans

although democrats have opposed it in many cases as well when it didn't serve their interests

https://nevadacurrent.com/2023/08/22/as-ranked-choice-voting-gains-momentum-parties-in-power-push-back/

[Edited on September 14, 2024 at 11:26 AM. Reason : .]

9/14/2024 11:24:20 AM

Quote :

"all the states that enact this being red states other than maine"

Where did you get this from? That list of six southern states was referring only to military absentee ballots because logistically it would be more difficult for them to participate in comparatively shorter notice run-offs otherwise.

9/14/2024 12:04:11 PM

This is why reading the full sentence is important. I kinda stopped when it listed states

9/14/2024 12:05:02 PM

I'm not strictly opposed to it, but I don't get a great feeling about it. It kind of feels like making a game of the system, in that I've heard there are different methods and ways to do it, and it feels like the more strategy and techniques you add to it, the more exploits can be created and the more muddled it can get, whether its in how it is implemented or how the existing powers play it in elections.

I think it'd be better to focus on making the existing two parties maybe more "democratic" in ways than to change the system we vote by and then have themselves corrupt that.

9/14/2024 2:32:18 PM

This is an interesting history:

9/15/2024 9:29:56 PM

^^ Ranked choice voting is the "democratic way to change the parties." Both parties are currently held captive by their most extreme flanks, even though those flanks make up possibly 20-30% of their numbers. You can't reform a party when even having internal supermajorities against those in charge isn't enough to shake the minority's influence and control. Our 2-party system and first-past-the-post primaries and elections are the chief cause of that.

Americans are far more moderate than their two main political parties, but years of having to vote for the lesser of two evils have driven both parties basically to evil (one clearly moreso than the other), or at least into being wildly out of touch with the electorate. Being able to stop having to make that choice and instead vote your conscience without fear of enabling the far worse choice to win will change electoral dynamics for the better, dilute the power of the crazies on both sides, and get us back towards people who actually want to govern and work together to solve the country's problems.

As it stands, > 70% of the country didn't want to see a Biden-Trump rematch, yet that's what we initially had. Most Republicans have wanted someone other than Trump for three consecutive election cycles, but that's what they've gotten. People don't want bomb throwers, yet that's what the current system rewards.

9/18/2024 8:49:46 PM

ATTN: So-Called Republicans

Stop begrudgingly voting for Trump. You don't have to do it.

9/19/2024 7:51:39 AM

^^Trump aside, I don't think the parties are practically that extreme, at least in what ends up being passed. Now you could point to seemingly common sense policies that should be passed, but that's more of a special interests issue than a party issue.

Honestly, I think a lot of good could just be done by average folks paying more attention to local and state elections. So much attention goes to the national level while so much of the stuff that practically affects people is on the state level.

[Edited on September 19, 2024 at 10:52 AM. Reason : 1]

9/19/2024 10:51:35 AM