Can Ranked-Choice Voting Change U.S. Elections?

A movement has been growing across the country to change how the system works. Voters in places like Maine, San Francisco, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, are allowed to rank their choices in order of preference on the ballot instead of voting for only one person. Initial surveys of ranked-choice voting in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, show voters are more satisfied with the conduct of local campaigns than in similar cities with plurality, winner-takes-all voting, according to a recent report by Western Washington University's Todd Donovan and colleagues, "Campaign civility under preferential and plurality voting." Could ranked-choice voting save Washington? Watch the video to find out how an initiative that both late Senator John McCain and former President Barack Obama supported could help or hurt our democracy.

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Can Ranked-Choice Voting Save Washington?

[CNBC]

Do you support ranked-choice voting? Let us know below.

[sophiahendrickson]

“Washington is broken!”
Have you tried turning it off and on again?

[pmcgktr]

We use this voting system in Northern Ireland for our devolved assembly, to say voters find it “too complex and confusing” is really condescending and just not true.

[uhohhotdog]

The Heritage dude doesn’t like it because it cost his party a seat. His candidate lost in Maine. Your vote doesn’t get thrown out. Your next choice is counted. If you don’t make a second or third choice that’s on you.

[knowledgeiskey]

*YES*
It is so stupid having to choose your candidate strategically: _Having to choose a terrible candidate over the one you want to make sure a Horrible candidate doesn't win IS NOT A WORKING SYSTEM._

[KingFate]

"It favors progressive ideas."

If your complaining that the system that guarantees the most popular position wins favors a particular position, you have no interest in democracy. If it favors progressive ideas, that means progressive ideas are more popular.

[niirceollae]

Confusing?.. what are you talking about... rank voting please

[michdem]

"Ranked vote is bad because in Maine election the candidate that got the most votes in first round was ultimately not elected"


THAT'S THE POINT!

[aaronramsay]

How could you not like this? It is a more fair and democratic form of democracy

[iammrbeat]

Ironically, both Pepsi and Coke bottle Dr. Pepper

[unfabulouslyfabulous]

The guys against ranked choice are so obviously just trying to protect the industry and establishment . Go to your retirement home already and let America be a true democracy

[michelemarble]

As a Mainer I can assure everyone how easy it is to vote this new way. Now, we don't worry about spoilers and know that the person elected has a majority of the votes.

[iammrbeat]

9:51 Total misrepresentation of what happened in Maine.

[vdinh]

Anything alternative is better than first-pass-the-post at this point

[cat-.-]

If you find something simple as ranking candidate confusing, stay home and don't vote

[mr.potatoeshead]

How exactly is ranked choice voting "confusing"?

It's so simple that 2nd graders do this when they pick their favorite to least favorite colors..

Hell, that ballot was even color coded with pictures for adults to understand at the most basic levels!!

[cann]

Andrew Yang is for Ranked-Choice Voting

[omkarchauhan]

"WASHINGTON IS BROKEN"
HAVE YOU TRIED FLEX TAPE!!

[sports]

This makes way too much sense to ever get passes

[kano-owoblow]

It's interesting to see the heritage foundation guy basically be like ... We can't cheat anymore hence it won't work.