Now that Maine has used ranked choice voting for a federal election, it seems likely that Massachusetts will be the second such state. A well-organized group, Voter Choice Massachusetts, is already organizing to support a bill in the legislature, and if necessary a statewide initiative. Massachusetts has the easiest procedures for statewide initiatives of any state. The petition is 3% of the last gubernatorial vote, the lowest in the nation. Here is the Voter Choice Massachusetts web page.
Will the MA EAST or CA WEST save Democracy
— or something between — aka MI, OH, IL, NE, MO
— from the ANTI-Democracy minority rule gerrymander oligarchs ???
— PR and AppV — real reforms.
Massachusett’s statutes, like Cambridge, they’ve been doing it right for more than 50 years and everyone loves it.
We all aspire to Massachsetts and give them our total support in victory.
Let’s guide our team to avoid the one-party system using RCV in single winner districts like those being gerrymandered now in SF, Oakland, Maine and likely more.
See the about 15 gerrymander amdts to the 1780 Mass Const.
IE — Mass single member district gerrymander HACKS more entrenched than Brit monarchs ???
The web page
https://www.voterchoicema.org/how_rcv_works
at the web site linked to by the article is the best description of RCV for single winner and multi-winner elections I’ve encountered. I highly recommended it – send it to your friends who barely understand anything about elections in America.
@DW,
In Maine’s second congressional district, only 32% Of voters ranked at least 3 of the 4 candidate in a regular fashion.
@joogle,
Cambridge elections are expensive for candidates since they must vie citywide for voter recognition. Unless you get a lot of 1st preferences it is difficult to be elected. It is fairly unusual for more than one candidate who finishes out of the Top 9 on the first count to be elected. That is, using limited voting the results would be the same. Also, Cambridge uses a really arcane voting system, which in part depends on a roll of the dice to determine who wins.
The good thing about the Cambridge system is that it requires a council-manager system of government. The mayor is elected from among the council members, and is largely a ceremonial position.
Approval voting would be better. Ranking 20 candidates is virtually impossible for an ordinary citizen.
The really BAD thing about the Cambridge system is that it requires a council-manager system of government.
APPOINTED manager HACK.
Mayor hack on council = 2/3 tyranny – by definition.
How would the tyrant horror be if Trump was in the USA Senate ???
—
PR and AppV – pending Condorcet
Jim wrote “only 32% Of voters ranked at least 3 of the 4 candidate in a regular fashion.” So what? If there are three commies and one libertarian running, it is perfectly rational to vote only for the libertarian which specifically endorses the commies equally if the libertarian doesn’t make it past one of the rounds of tabulation. (Change the commie/libertarian labels to whatever you like if you are are so disposed.)
@DW,
In Maine there was a Democrat, a Republican, and two independents.
“In Maine there was a Democrat, a Republican, and two independents.” Again, so what? Obviously some of those who voted for one or both of the independents did not rank the D or the R – thereby making the D and R essentially tied for last place on their ballots. I identify with people who think that, in most cases, the Ds and Rs are equally reprehensible and do not deserve to be supported. To that end, the elector did the rational thing and did not express a preference between the lesser of two evils, which were thereby judged to be the same level of evil.
@DW,
How is it rational to vote in a way that is totally ineffective?
Under Top 2, the independent voter could reconsider his decision, and perhaps seek guidance from the candidate he had supported in the primary.
RCV is not achiving its stated goals?
After RCW elects some obvious Stalin/Hitler types due to current extremist conditions [[WEAK *middle*]]
— may set back REAL election reforms for many years.
See earlier Stalin-Hitler-Washington example.
—
PR and Condorcet – pending Condorcet.
@DR,
Burlington, VT; Aspen, CO; and Pierce County, WA?
JR — COULD BE fine examples ???
The plurality crop of RED communist Donkey extremist 2019-2020 USA Reps may produce lots more attention for REAL election reforms.
PR and AppV