#ranked voting

[shinisenko]

California’s Flawed Primary System Could Result in the Deep-Blue State Electing a GOP Governor

The state’s messy primary underscores the urgent need for ranked-choice voting in California — and beyond.

[notocuomo]

Get more info on how to defeat Cuomo in NYC here

If you're in NYC download this image, print it, copy it and hang it around. Tell your parents, aunts, uncles and friends.

Just #saynotocumo

[lichen-thr0pe]

[er1der]

They say people will like the stupidest shit on Tumblr so. Here's a tie with the Condocet Shulze method

https://www.condorcet.vote/Vote/7F0D2D4D54/

Votes:

C > B > A = D

C > B > A = D

D > C > B > A

D > B > C > A

[thanakite]

Colorado has a ballot measure coming up (Prop 131) that would allow open primaries and ranked choice voting

I'm EXTREMELY for this

When explaining why to my father (part of which entailed the point that we live in a red county and that it is messed up that as a registered Democrat I don't get a say in who the Republican candidate is especially since they are ones likely to be elected despite the fact that my whole family votes Democrat (because that is how that works currently)) he told me that if I wanted to pick the Republican candidate I should become a Republican -_-

Like that isn't the point, for one, and for another open primaries AND ranked choice voting are both incredibly important AND would not only be better for everyone but is a more "free" and "open" system which is what we should want!

Anyway, if you are in Colorado vote YES on Prop 131!

[katjohnadams]

Imagine, for a moment, you are in a crowd of 101 people.

You all have to decide on *one* food to eat for the next four years. The crowd splits into two camps: one side hates Pizza, the other hates Fish and chips. 50 ask for Pizza, 51 ask for Fish and Chips. 

Seems really unfair to make half the crowd eat something they dislike because of such a stupidly slim margin. 

A small group suggest Burgers, but if they ask for that, people will yell at them for throwing the vote.

What a shit way to pick a meal for four years.

Now instead imagine people can say what foods they'd prefer, in order. Sure, most people are still asking for Pizza or Fish and chips as their #1 choice, but the Burger Party suggest Pizza Burgers with a side of chips. Pretty much everyone can agree that is better than eating shit for four years. And since no one can agree on their Number 1 choice, a second option that pretty well everyone can live with is a good plan, and instead of debating only what they want, people discuss how to make what they can both work with better.

That's ranked voting. That's how voting can fight extremism.

[adrian-lavan-blog]

What we learned from this trash-heap of an election

So, to the surprise of literally no one, the 2020 presidential election is a dumpster fire. It’s a fire in a dumpster, filled with other dumpsters also on fire. A meta-dumpster fire. A day later and we are still on tender hooks and popping Tums like a mofo just hanging on. Given that, it’s easy to miss some of the interesting lessons here. 

Once again, we see the electoral college is garbage

Any time someone can win the popular vote by a wide margin and still be close or lose? That is clear evidence that the way we measure isn’t fair. If you look into it, gerrymandering continues to be a huge issue. In terms of the electoral college, one suggestion is to add electoral votes for the popular vote. There are concerns about tossing out the electoral college because it would strongly benefit huge population centers--but it would also make every vote equal. 

We need ranked voting. 

One of the issues a lot of people had between the two primary candidates was that they didn’t like either. And it makes sense; both candidates are white males of privilege in their mid-to-late 70s--that is more than four decades older than the average American. Republican-leaning people feel ashamed of Trump (rightly. Imma pull no punches. Fight me). Democratic-leaning people feel like Biden was a forced choice (also rightly. Also fight me). A lot of people voted not out of enthusiasm for their candidate but fear/distrust/disgust for the opponent. But no one wanted to vote third party because the fear of splitting the vote. This is a real-life example of why we need ranked choice. You vote for your first choice candidate, second choice, etc. If no one gets a clear majority, you drop the lowest pulling candidate and anyone who had that person as choice 1, their ballot moves to choice 2. Repeat until you get a majority. If that was a choice, third parties become viable options and suddenly we actually might break the two party stranglehold and make big changes. 

It wouldn’t take much fraud

Please note I am NOT SAYING that fraud has occurred. That is NOT the point here. When we talk about vote fraud, I’m also not talking about things like undocumented immigrants voting or people magically voting twice. I’m talking more about interference, likely from foreign actors (i.e. Russia). The thing we are seeing here, in such a razor close race, is that it would not take much fraud to change this race. If we take a close, combative state, like Pennsylvania, with a large electoral prize, fraudulently swung to one candidate or the other, that could be the difference in this election. Fraud or manipulation will not appear to be a map that turns one color. It would be a small nudge to swing something delicate and vital. And that makes voter fraud/manipulation approximately ten thousand times scarier. 

Win or lose, Trumpism is going to stick around

That idea of being a sore loser, sore winner, refusing to listen to science or external information? That idea of creating your own reality and parroting it to the masses, gaslighting reality? Yeah, we’ve seen that that horrible nonsense works. It’s been a major factor in the wide spread of covid, as people who minimized the danger are more likely to contract, spread, and minimize symptoms until they become dangers. It’s arguably the reason that Trump has won as many votes as he has, because a segment of the population does not listen to reason, but to their candidate and take his word as scripture. Which is terrifying. 

BONUS fact. Jake Trapper (of CNN) is FIIIIIIIIRRRRRREEEEEE. This dude is my new favorite pundit (and arguably comedian). I died when he called trump a dangerous fraud and watching his general attitude here is just like, the American people condensed. Like a “what the fuck is this shit” distilled into one tired, slightly grumpy, and very fed up dude. His every expression says that he is fed up with the shit here and his response to trump’s gaslighting is just so pure. 

[witchaj]

My county in Oregon is trying out ranked voting for county positions!  I hope it goes well and sets an example for other areas of the country.  The rest of the ballot was normal, but it was really exciting to see some changes.  They made a cute little video to explain how it works.