Maine passes ranked voting

[ryoder 1,590]

http://qz.com/828585/maine-is-adopting-a-voting-system-that-will-make-it-easier-for-third-party-candidates-to-get-elected/

Now hopefully, the rest of the states will follow, and the US will come out of the dark ages of first-past-the-post voting.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[StreetScooby 5]

That's what the Constitution is all about. States rights. Sounds like an interesting concept.

We are all engines of karma

[ryoder 1,590]

A tutorial that explains why first-past-the-post voting invariably results in just two powerful parties: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7tWHJfhiyo

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[yoink 321]

Good job, Maine!!

[jakee 1,595]

StreetScooby

That's what the Constitution is all about. States rights. Sounds like an interesting concept.

Isn't it kinda, just a little bit, all about people's rights too?

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[AlanS 1]

ryoder

http://qz.com/828585/maine-is-adopting-a-voting-system-that-will-make-it-easier-for-third-party-candidates-to-get-elected/

Now hopefully, the rest of the states will follow, and the US will come out of the dark ages of first-past-the-post voting.

This is a good step. The presidential primary process needs to be redone and studies show that ranked voting allows the majority of voters to get someone they like when a field has many candidates.

That essentially is one of the problems with our primary system.. if you have many candidates you might like 3 of 12, but can only vote for one.

The other problem as I see it, is we don't have all the states vote at the same time. I think we would be better off with a national votes at three different times during the primaries, and at each step you narrow the field until nationally you get to select the winner.

[ryoder 1,590]

AlanS

This is a good step. The presidential primary process needs to be redone and studies show that ranked voting allows the majority of voters to get someone they like when a field has many candidates.

That essentially is one of the problems with our primary system.. if you have many candidates you might like 3 of 12, but can only vote for one.

Agreed.
You should be able to rank the entire slate of candidates regardless of their party affiliation.
Not only does this give the citizen a real choice, but the parties can crunch the numbers and see exactly how any of their candidates compete with any other candidate!

Quote

The other problem as I see it, is we don't have all the states vote at the same time. I think we would be better off with a national votes at three different times during the primaries, and at each step you narrow the field until nationally you get to select the winner.

Absolutely!!!
It is asinine that many citizens get to vote in a primary only after many of the candidates have dropped out.


And one more thing:
Caucuses; Drive a stake into them. This isn't 1800 any more.
Here in CO we just voted 64% on a referendum for a primary to replace the idiotic caucus crap.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[wmw999 2,588]

One thing about the primary system is that it gives candidates a way to perfect and hone their campaigns. Back when they used to do this via the primaries (GWB didn't; no one really has since then except for Bernie, and to a lesser degree Trump), the candidates had the opportunity to listen to a group at a time and see how it fit with what they'd been saying. Maybe not a bad thing. But GWB was packaged up by the party and presented as the anointed one; it worked, and seemed easier than actually listening to all those people, and so now everyone does it that way.

This is from a relative who's been involved as an outside observer of the primary process for 30+ years. So at least finding a way for candidates to evolve without its being automatically called flip flopping might be valuable.

Back to the topi , I love that Maine did this. It might even make up for their whack job governor.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[ryoder 1,590]

wmw999

Back to the topi , I love that Maine did this. It might even make up for their whack job governor.

Wendy P.

Wasn't Gov Whack Job the reason they did it?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine_gubernatorial_election,_2010

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.