Louisiana runoffs deliver dismal turnout and winners who “lost” votes
Louisiana voters went to the polls this Saturday, November 18 for their second election in five weeks; they elected a secretary of state, attorney general, state legislators, and parish officials. Nearly all races had a large decline in turnout, as is typical with delayed runoff elections.
Of the 44 state and parish races that had runoffs, 40 (91%) had lower turnout than the first round in October. 350,000 fewer voters turned out statewide, for a median decline of 35% in the three statewide runoffs and 27% across all runoffs – a problem ranked choice voting would solve.
Even more starkly, many candidates won their runoff elections with fewer votes than they earned in the first round. Runoffs are designed to select winners who can consolidate majority support when lower-performing candidates are eliminated from the race, but 30% of winning candidates earned a lower number of votes in the runoff than the first round – and won anyway. In other words, nearly one-third of runoffs totally failed to deliver on their reason for existing in the first place!
Notable races where the winner earned fewer votes than they did in October include attorney general, treasurer, and seven state legislative races.
Notably, one race is headed to a recount. In Caddo Parish, home to Louisiana’s third-largest city of Shreveport, the candidates for sheriff are separated by only one vote, with a recount expected next week. The one-vote margin is particularly troubling because 2,800 fewer voters turned out for the runoff than the October general election. In such a close race, Caddo Parish voters would be better served by electing a winner on the day when turnout is highest, not in a low-turnout runoff election weeks later.
Ranked choice voting eliminates the need for runoffs because it simulates an “instant runoff,” generating the same benefits runoffs are supposed to deliver, but only requiring voters to vote once. Voters can rank candidates on their ballot in order of preference. Just like in runoff elections, if a voter’s top choice doesn’t make it to the final round, they still get to weigh in between the finalists. However, RCV saves money and boosts turnout by consolidating two rounds into a single election.
Military and overseas voters in Louisiana already vote this way. When they received their general election ballots in the mail this fall, they had the option to rank candidates in case any of the races went to a runoff. Instead of dealing with mail ballots twice in five weeks, military and overseas voters got to vote just once. It’s time for Louisiana to extend this courtesy to other voters as well.
By mid-November, voters are planning Thanksgiving dinners and holiday gifts, and don’t want to wait in line at the polls a second time for runoffs. In Louisiana, the proof is in the pudding (or pecan pie?) – the hundreds of thousands who simply didn’t show up, and whose voices weren’t heard in the democratic process.
An “instant runoff” with ranked choice voting would be a faster, cheaper, better way for The Pelican State to conduct its elections.
