SFGate, an on-line news source centered in San Francisco, has this story about the California gubernatorial race. The story singles out ten gubernatorial candidates and implies they are the only candidates worth mentioning. The list includes eight Democrats and two Republicans.

The story does not mention Green Party member Butch Ware, the only minor party candidate who has been actively campaigning and who has ever been included in any polls and participated in any debates. Nor does the story discuss the concept that the two Republicans might end up placing first and second in the June primary, which would create a November ballot with no Democrats and no write-in space.

WASHINGTON, D.C. WILL USE RANKED CHOICE VOTING FOR PRIMARIES AND GENERAL ELECTIONS IN 2026
WILL EASE PATH FOR MINOR PARTIES TO GAIN QUALIFIED STATUS

On December 16, the D.C. City Council voted that the District will use Ranked Choice Voting starting this year for all partisan elections.  D.C. becomes the third jurisdiction to use RCV in federal elections, following Maine (in 2018) and Alaska (in 2022).

Results from Maine and Alaska show that RCV boosts the percentage of votes cast for minor parties.  In Maine in 2020, the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate polled the highest percentage for any third party candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine history.  For President that year, the percentage for the Green Party in Maine was 1.00%.  That was the party’s best percentage in any state that year, and triple the national percentage in the states in which it was on the ballot.

In Alaska, the Alaskan Independence Party benefited from RCV in 2024, when it polled the third highest percentage for U.S. House in the party’s history, a history that goes back to 1974.  Only 2008 and 1992 were higher.

Continue reading →

On January 15, former Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester appeared to endorse an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate seat that is up this year.  Seth Bodnar, president of the University of Montana, may become an independent candidate for Senate this year.  The incumbent is Republican Senator Steve Daines.  See this story.