As I watch the discourse between members of the two major political parties here in Maine regarding the upcoming presidential election, I notice there’s one thing no one seems to have grasped yet: Maine uses ranked choice voting to allocate its electoral votes in the race for president.
Oh, sure, these folks probably know the fact of RCV’s existence. For reasons that are unclear, the Republicans hate it because Bruce Poliquin lost in 2018, but all of the research shows no advantage for anyone on the political spectrum in an RCV race.
The Democrats seem to have noticed this, since they’ve been in control of everything for years but still haven’t extended RCV to state and local races. Still, neither side seems to have learned much about the way an RCV race changes elections and how you should approach voters. This is the year people need to come around.
Firstly, they should really stop trying to eliminate candidates from the ballot. The recent spat over Cornel West was silly. Why would the Dems want him off the ballot? Are they worried his second-place votes will go to Trump? It seems unlikely.
In an RCV race, you want fringe candidates who are on your side of the political spectrum. Rather than steal votes from you, they give disaffected voters, who might otherwise not vote at all, a reason to get off the couch. And, guess what? They’ll almost definitely rank your candidate #2. When they lose in round one, as everyone knows they will, you get their vote.
Pretty great, right? Even better, it changes the discourse with voters and makes conversations so much more positive. Instead of railing against “the other candidate,” creating a binary situation where your candidate is good and their candidate is bad, it places the candidates on a spectrum. This way, when you approach the many independents in Maine, you don’t have to worry about maligning a candidate someone was thinking of voting for, thereby triggering defensive postures and standoffishness.
People are tired of negative politics. They want to talk about making the future better, not just warding off the worst stuff.
“Hey, I’m just asking you to rank my candidate first.” Give it a try. “Sure, the other candidates have good qualities and make good points on some issues, I’m just saying my candidate is best.” I can tell you from countless examples on the Lisa Savage campaign that we were able to engage meaningfully with voters of all persuasions, whether arch Collins fans or staunch Gideon supporters.
“I hope I can at least earn your second-place vote” is an amazing way to leave a political conversation as a candidate. Who knows what happens in the ballot box when it comes time for rankings?
As for you voters: Wake up to the new reality. It’s time to vote your conscience. No longer do you have to make political calculations about whether Maine is “safe,” or count up potential votes. Rather, just rank the candidates in the way that most aligns with what you believe is the right course for our country.
Think about the issues most important to you – jobs, climate change, the economy, health care, education, Gaza, guns – and think about which candidate most closely aligns with how you’d like to see those policies enacted. Rank them #1. Rank the second closest #2. Right on down the line. If your candidate doesn’t win, so be it. At least you still have a say in who eventually comes out on top.
I know who I’m ranking first – Jill Stein, do the research – but I admit, having voted for Nader in 2000, that I feel a little better about it knowing I can rank another candidate #2 should Stein not carry the day.
Who are you ranking first, and why?
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Publish date : 2024-08-28 21:01:00
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