Editorial Support

There is no one trick to fix American democracy — but implementing ranked-choice voting in primary and general elections around the country could help… The system has myriad advantages. Voters can vote for their preferred candidate, without worrying as much about wasting their vote or the ‘spoiler’ effect they could have on others in the race… Candidates must attract people’s second- and third-place votes, giving them strong incentive to make broad-based appeals.

We should be thankful, too, for the advent of Alaska’s open primary and ranked choice voting system this year, which is already paying dividends in helping candidates run on their ideas rather than their adherence to political party orthodoxy.

There are signs that ranked choice voting’s time may have arrived. All the major Democratic nominees for mayor have publicly embraced the idea at forums, and a poll conducted by the Committee of Seventy suggested that most respondents found the process easy, and favored implementing it in Philadelphia… It would help fight political cynicism and get more Philadelphians involved with local government once again.

First, vote with your heart, at least for your top choice. Don’t try to game the system or do mental gymnastics about your rankings. The great thing about ranked-choice voting, in contrast to the traditional first-past-the-post method, is that you have the freedom to vote for the candidate you like best and still have a say in the outcome if that candidate doesn’t win.

We believe the state would be best served by replacing its traditional runoff with a ranked-choice-voting method that allows voters to cast their runoff votes the same time they cast their primary votes — an option our state already offers to members of the military.

Voters need quality candidates, and quality campaigns. Ranked choice voting could help provide both. Better Ballot KC has provided an opportunity for RCV here, and we should take it.

According to FairVote, ‘Ranked choice voting makes democracy more fair and functional. It works in a variety of contexts. It is a simple change that can have a big impact.’ It’s time, Florida. No one should ever be nominated again with less than a majority consensus.