Are you for or against ranked choice voting? Why?

I am for it. It ultimately presents the least objectionable candidate. I think it would really temper the extremes and possibly even break down limited party systems to free up more electoral choices.

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CountScrofula · 41-45, M

Yeah, the big thing to understand about ranked choice is that the most popular candidate often doesn't win. Rather, the most broadly acceptable candidate wins. Canadian political parties use it and people are often baffled by who ends up winning because it's rarely who is expected.

bijouxbroussard · F

@CountScrofula That’s what a lot of us found out the hard way. So someone who might actually make a positive difference [b]loses[/b], while another person who simply won’t rock the boat wins. 😞

CountScrofula · 41-45, M

@bijouxbroussard Yeah if everyone's second choice wins it's very hard to pursue any kind of meaningful agenda beyond "inoffensive"

bijouxbroussard · F

@CountScrofula The other thing is, you’re forced to "rank" the candidates or have your ballot tossed out.
I don’t want to be compelled to select someone I wouldn’t even have had as a [b]candidate[/b] simply to have someone in second or third place. It [b]sucks[/b]. And some people I’ve spoken to don’t vote anymore locally because of it.

Abstraction · 61-69, M

@bijouxbroussard I don't agree. It's a superb system. Not sure what system you have, but for us:
Rank 1,2,3,4,5... Count the 1 votes. Person in last place, distribute their second preferences. Keep going until you have two candidates. That's the reason since the last election we now are back to instituting climate change policies instead of fossil fuel policies, increasing unemployment benefits for the first time in 15 years... Independent thinkers elected and big parties forced to negotiate.

My vote has never gone to someone I don't like as they are all down near the bottom of the list.

bijouxbroussard · F

@Abstraction We’ve had it for awhile, and I [b]don’t[/b] like it. I haven’t seen any positive changes as a result.

Abstraction · 61-69, M

@bijouxbroussard Interesting. Imagine three candidates:
1. Pro-Trump candidate: 40% of vote.
2. Democrat candidate: 35% of vote.
3. Greens (or whatever) candidate: 25% of vote.
So 60% [i]definitely don't want[/i] the pro Trump candidate. In your preferred system (if I understand it which I'm not sure) the Trump person would win even though most people don't want this person because the Dems & Greens have split the vote. So in first past the post you can't afford to have two good people splitting the vote.