[PLUG-TALK] Changing politics ... for the better

[Rich Shepard]

   If you're bothered by the first-past-the-pole electoral system which has
allowed only two candidates receiving the fewer number of votes to be
elected President in more than 100 years (in 2000 and 2016), the rush by
R and D candidates to the extreme fringes of what they perceive to be the
most important issues of their "base" voters, and the effective exclusion of
all other political parties then it's time to work for change.

   One effective alternate voting system, used by a dozen or so cities in the
US, the state of Maine, and other countries such as Australia is the the
ranked choice voting system. Also called the preference voting system, it
has major benefits and few (easily overcome) drawbacks.

   Here are references to RCV:

https://www.rankedchoicevoting.org/faq
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/theworldpost/wp/2018/03/22/ranked-choice-voting/?utm_term=.4bc2798b56a4
http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/ranked-choice-voting.aspx
http://www.fairvote.org/rcv/#where_is_ranked_choice_voting_used

   RCV is a continuous runoff system. Each ballot lists as many candidates as
qualified for the office (from local school board or soil and water
conservation district) to national office (Congress and the Presidency).
Each voter ranks all (or as many) as they want in order of preference. A
scanable form will have ovals marked '1,' '2,' etc. next to each candidates
name and votes or the ballot can have boxes in which voters write the number
of their preference for each candidate.

   All the first place votes are counted. If one candidate receives > 50% of
all votes cast they are elected and the celebrations and mourning begin.
However, if no candidate gains a majority of votes, the one with the fewest
first place votes is dropped and they votes give to every voted who ranked
that candidate #2. Now the total votes for each candidate are recalculated.
The winner is the candidate with > 50% of the votes. If the second round
fails to find a winnner, the lowest vote count candidate is dropped, their
votes distributed to the remaining candidates. Rinse and repeat until a
candidate has the majority of votes.

   If you'd like to see this in Oregon (or wherever you live), contact your
state representatives and senators and ask them to collect like-minded
colleagues and prepare a bill to establish this voting system. I did this
and was asked to meet with my state senator and her chief of staff in a
couple of weeks. Such a voting system gives everyone an equal voice in
elections rather than the preference for rural voters which is the result of
the electoral college and other aspects of the current system as set up by
the country's founders.

Rich