Democracy for America
In reply to the discussion: An Idea to encourage compromise in the U.S. House of Representatives [View all]LetMyPeopleVote
(154,120 posts)I am amused that you think that I was mean. You would not like to deal with some of the litigators I have worked with. Again, if you want to advance a new method of voting you need to understand how the system works in the real world. Your plan could never be adopted ni the real world and would have destroyed the Congressional Black caucus.
One of the alternatives that I discussed in this thread is ranked choice voting. Here is an article that will explain this concept and how it may solve some of your problems.
I was amused and pleased to see that Rank Choice Voting caused Sarah Palin to lose the special election to replace Don Young. Rank Choice Voting encourages more participation and favors moderate candidate. Palin is currently asking/demanding that the other GOP candidate who will be on the ballot for the November general election drop out because Palin fears a repeat of the special election. This is really a great endorsement of the Alaskan system of rank choice voting.
Link to tweet
https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-ranked-choice-voting-engagement-democracy-20220929-qvfxhwql2rb3pgc74pnjc6paye-story.html
And if no candidate obtains a majority of votes initially, then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and voters second choices are redistributed among the remaining field. This process repeats until either one candidate receives a majority of votes or two candidates remain.
Ranked choice voting is straightforward and gaining momentum. The results from the use of ranked choice voting suggest it could be crucial in transforming democracy for the better without creating new political parties......
Adopting ranked choice voting also leads to more diverse people running and holding positions of power. In places that use ranked choice voting, nearly half of all mayors and city council members are women. Further, in cities with ranked choice voting, more candidates of color run for office. By ensuring candidates no matter their background must reach as many voters as possible,
Ranked choice voting levels the playing field and fundamentally shifts the landscape of who runs for and ultimately wins elected office.
The combination of increased civility, engagement from campaigns and representation under a ranked choice voting model leads to the most important outcome: people turning out to vote. For instance, ranked choice voting in mayoral elections has led to a 10% average increase in turnout in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Young people are also more likely to vote where ranked choice voting is used.