Countless young people across America are fervent proponents of ranked choice voting (RCV), also known as instant runoff voting, and incorrectly accept that it could cure many of our electoral ills – from reducing the impact of minority rule to broadening the diversity of political candidates. I was one of those people.
Now I realize just how wrong I was.
In college, I was happy to spew all sorts of RCV propaganda. I falsely believed that RCV would eliminate minority rule, the spoiler effect, the wasted vote phenomenon, and more! The benefits appeared clear as day. However, as I naïvely advocated for RCV across my state, I encountered many people who did not share my views. After listening to their arguments and doing more research, several alarming examples and facts quickly crushed my utopian view of an RCV society.
Indeed, my opinion of RCV has completely changed. I no longer support the system for three key reasons.
First of all, although RCV seems deceptively simple at first glance, a deeper look reveals a level of complexity that isn't just theoretical – it's real, and it affects voters at the booth. The ballot process, which requires voters to rank candidates in order of preference rather than simply checking a box, is perplexing.
This brings to light an incredibly important question that supporters of RCV often forget: how does this affect our vulnerable voters? The elderly, people with disabilities, the less educated, and the non-native English-speakers? For these vulnerable voters, the complexity of RCV increases the likelihood of errors. In navigating the new system, they are more likely to misunderstand the ranking process, ultimately leading to their ballot being filled out incorrectly. And what happens to incorrectly filled ballots? It's a dreadfully easy answer: they are thrown away.
Because of this, RCV actually decreases the representation and electoral influence of minority voters as such voters disproportionately “exhaust” their ballots – a meek term for getting their ballots thrown out. For example, a study of the 2011 San Francisco mayoral election found that Asian-American and Latino voters had higher rates of incorrectly filled ballots compared to other demographic groups, meaning those specific minority groups had their voices disregarded. An effective voting system would ensure that this does not happen because American elections should be accessible for every lawful voter and ensure that every vote counts.
The complexity of RCV also slows down the entire electoral process, increasing both the lines at the polling places and the time it takes to count ballots.
Secondly, RCV disenfranchises voters. What misguided supporters of RCV often fail to recognize is that votes cast for lower-ranking candidates can become irrelevant if those candidates are dropped from the tally. In practical terms, this has led to significant numbers of “exhausted ballots.”
For instance, in New York City's 2021 council race, a staggering 15% of votes were discarded due to ballot exhaustion. In the same year, a mayoral race in Sandy, Utah was decided by only 21 votes, where more than 18% of the original ballots (over 4,000 total) were discarded. According to a study of four local elections in California, between 9.6% and 27.1% of ballots were exhausted before the final round.
This effectively undermines the notion of every vote counting equally. In a traditional plurality voting system, a voter's ballot is still counted in the overall tally, preserving its impact on the final outcome even if a voter's chosen candidate loses. In contrast, RCV swiftly and effectively diminishes voter influence through discarding ballots.
This is hardly the mark of a more democratic system.
Finally, RCV can also lead to surprising election results that don't necessarily reflect the majority's will.
In the Alaska special congressional race of 2022, for example, a Democrat won in the final runoff phase of an RCV election despite the fact that GOP candidates garnered 60% of the votes in the initial round. This outcome has sparked concerns that RCV actually distorts voter intent more than clarifies it.
Maine has also served time as an RCV testing ground, and the muddled results there have been eye-opening. In the 2018 election for Maine's 2nd Congressional District, incumbent Bruce Poliquin led in the initial round with a plurality of the votes. However, as votes from eliminated candidates were redistributed in subsequent rounds, Jared Golden won the election in the final round. Once again, RCV fails to promise a valid outcome.
Passionate but misguided proponents of RCV, like me in college, would incorrectly argue that the solution to these issues lies in better voter education and outreach. This is undoubtedly important, but it does not fully address the system's inherent flaws.
Our constitutional republic should empower, not dilute, the voice of the people. Because of this, RCV will never be practical or effective.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
READ NEXT: CNN's Disgusting Spin on Israeli Strike Leaves Viewers Fuming
The Many Failures Of Ranked Choice Voting
Colorado Towns Prepare To Sue Over Immigration Policies
Colorado's migrant crisis is reaching a fever pitch, and municipalities are desperate to stop the influx — especially as it pertains to foreign criminals.
The once serene mountain state has taken in a record number of illegal aliens during the Biden-Harris administration, and residents have paid a hefty price.
Local leaders are considering lawsuits against the state itself and the state capital for practices that encourage and assist illegal immigration.
The Daily Caller reports:
The town council of Castle Rock, Colorado,.
Vivek Ramaswamy Teams Up With Fox News For New Docuseries
Code Name Voyager – Elon Musk’s Secret Service-Like Security
Why Isn’t The Media Celebrating This Remarkable American Triumph?
Suppressors Have Gone Mainstream | Repeal The NFA
Countless young people across America are fervent proponents of ranked choice voting (RCV), also known as instant runoff voting, and incorrectly accept that it could cure many of our electoral ills – from reducing the impact of minority rule to broadening the diversity of political candidates. I was one of those people.
Now I realize just how wrong I was.
In college, I was happy to spew all sorts of RCV propaganda. I falsely believed that RCV would eliminate minority rule, the spoiler effect, the wasted vote phenomenon, and more! The benefits appeared clear as day. However, as I naïvely advocated for RCV across my state, I encountered many people who did not share my views. After listening to their arguments and doing more research, several alarming examples and facts quickly crushed my utopian view of an RCV society.
Indeed, my opinion of RCV has completely changed. I no longer support the system for three key reasons.
First of all, although RCV seems deceptively simple at first glance, a deeper look reveals a level of complexity that isn't just theoretical – it's real, and it affects voters at the booth. The ballot process, which requires voters to rank candidates in order of preference rather than simply checking a box, is perplexing.
This brings to light an incredibly important question that supporters of RCV often forget: how does this affect our vulnerable voters? The elderly, people with disabilities, the less educated, and the non-native English-speakers? For these vulnerable voters, the complexity of RCV increases the likelihood of errors. In navigating the new system, they are more likely to misunderstand the ranking process, ultimately leading to their ballot being filled out incorrectly. And what happens to incorrectly filled ballots? It's a dreadfully easy answer: they are thrown away.
Because of this, RCV actually decreases the representation and electoral influence of minority voters as such voters disproportionately “exhaust” their ballots – a meek term for getting their ballots thrown out. For example, a study of the 2011 San Francisco mayoral election found that Asian-American and Latino voters had higher rates of incorrectly filled ballots compared to other demographic groups, meaning those specific minority groups had their voices disregarded. An effective voting system would ensure that this does not happen because American elections should be accessible for every lawful voter and ensure that every vote counts.
The complexity of RCV also slows down the entire electoral process, increasing both the lines at the polling places and the time it takes to count ballots.
Secondly, RCV disenfranchises voters. What misguided supporters of RCV often fail to recognize is that votes cast for lower-ranking candidates can become irrelevant if those candidates are dropped from the tally. In practical terms, this has led to significant numbers of “exhausted ballots.”
For instance, in New York City's 2021 council race, a staggering 15% of votes were discarded due to ballot exhaustion. In the same year, a mayoral race in Sandy, Utah was decided by only 21 votes, where more than 18% of the original ballots (over 4,000 total) were discarded. According to a study of four local elections in California, between 9.6% and 27.1% of ballots were exhausted before the final round.
This effectively undermines the notion of every vote counting equally. In a traditional plurality voting system, a voter's ballot is still counted in the overall tally, preserving its impact on the final outcome even if a voter's chosen candidate loses. In contrast, RCV swiftly and effectively diminishes voter influence through discarding ballots.
This is hardly the mark of a more democratic system.
Finally, RCV can also lead to surprising election results that don't necessarily reflect the majority's will.
In the Alaska special congressional race of 2022, for example, a Democrat won in the final runoff phase of an RCV election despite the fact that GOP candidates garnered 60% of the votes in the initial round. This outcome has sparked concerns that RCV actually distorts voter intent more than clarifies it.
Maine has also served time as an RCV testing ground, and the muddled results there have been eye-opening. In the 2018 election for Maine's 2nd Congressional District, incumbent Bruce Poliquin led in the initial round with a plurality of the votes. However, as votes from eliminated candidates were redistributed in subsequent rounds, Jared Golden won the election in the final round. Once again, RCV fails to promise a valid outcome.
Passionate but misguided proponents of RCV, like me in college, would incorrectly argue that the solution to these issues lies in better voter education and outreach. This is undoubtedly important, but it does not fully address the system's inherent flaws.
Our constitutional republic should empower, not dilute, the voice of the people. Because of this, RCV will never be practical or effective.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
READ NEXT: CNN's Disgusting Spin on Israeli Strike Leaves Viewers Fuming
Emmaline Merrill
ABC Whistleblower Swears Under Oath Network Colluded With Harris Campaign
Search
follow us
subscribe
Trending Stories
Code Name Voyager – Elon Musk’s Secret Service-Like Security
ANALYSIS – Publicly backing former President Donald TrumpEurope Wakes Up To Illegal Foreigner Threat – Will We?
ANALYSIS – Where Germany goes, Europe follows. TheRecap: The Lies ABC Allowed Harris To Say During The Debate
ANALYSIS – Who checks the fact-checkers? Former PresidentTrump Didn’t Prep Enough For Harris Debate – But He Can Still Win
ANALYSIS – Hubris? Maybe. And, yes, I understandCommentary
Code Name Voyager – Elon Musk’s Secret Service-Like Security
Why Isn’t The Media Celebrating This Remarkable American Triumph?
NATO Dangerously Close To WWIII Over Putin Nuke Plans
Do You Live In A Top 10 Gun-Friendly State?
Security
NATO Dangerously Close To WWIII Over Putin Nuke Plans
Does US Really Need Vulnerable Land-Based Nukes?
Report: White House Set To Approve Strikes Deep Inside Russia Using Western Missiles
Report: Homeland Security Designates Jan. 6 As National Security Event
Foreign Affairs
Pope Francis Urges Voters To Choose ‘The Lesser Evil’ In 2024 Election
Cubans Forced To Dig Through Trash For Food
Report: White House Set To Approve Strikes Deep Inside Russia Using Western Missiles
Millionaires Expected To Flee Britain In Droves Ahead Of Labour Party Tax Raids
Business & economics
Trump Pledges To Eliminate Taxes On Overtime Work If Reelected
Truth Social Stock Plummets, Then Rebounds After Trump-Kamala Debate
Millionaires Expected To Flee Britain In Droves Ahead Of Labour Party Tax Raids
Biden Admits Inflation Reduction Act Was Deceptively Named
heath & science
Why Isn’t The Media Celebrating This Remarkable American Triumph?
New York Governor Reveals Cancer Diagnosis
Congressman Joe Wilson Hospitalized After Medical Emergency At Washington, DC Event
Princess Of Wales Shares Rare Update Amid Cancer Fight
American Liberty Arms
This Is Why You Shouldn’t Store Guns In Ovens
Harris-Walz Campaign Recruiting Veterans To Influence Views On Gun Ownership
Supreme Court To Hear Landmark Case Challenging Government Overreach In Firearms Regulation
Marine Veteran Arrested After Writing Book Detailing His Involvement In The Jan. 6 Riot
At American Liberty News, we eschew the mainstream media’s tightly controlled narrative to provide our readers with real news, real insights, and the means to take action. We seek out insightful coverage – and partner with knowledgeable and experienced people and organizations to bring you the information and insight our readers demand.
We humbly seek to provide the tools and information necessary for our readers to decide for themselves what is true and what is right.
TOP TAGS
TOP CATEGORIES
FEATURES
American Liberty News ©2022
Evolution Digital Media | 1900 Reston Metro Plz | Suite 600 | Reston, VA 20190