I’m not talking about our electoral process which presents a host of problems itself. Rather, it is the plurality voting method which turns healthy debate into incontrovertible dogma. This results in extreme divisiveness, dirty tricks and yes, even mass shootings and bombings….
Category Archives: Voting Theory
John McCain: May His Legacy Live On
Usually we think of eulogies as remembrances, goodbyes or of a passing, but all who spoke for McCain this past week spoke with inspiration and hope for the future, even a call for urgency as in this Hemingway quote from Obama’s eulogy;
Today is only one day in
all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today.
I could find no better words to express my admiration to this man. But I would like to propose a plan to turn his principles and ideals into productive action for future generations to come. Continue reading
Voting II – Can Ranked Choice Voting Save Democracies Around the World?
We tend to think of polarization and divisiveness as symptoms of the current administration in the U.S. and maybe they will just disappear with future elections; well that’s not going to happen. This has been trending for over forty years and getting rid of Trump will not change this. Putin’s efforts to undermine the institutions of democracies around the world exploits this vulnerability, but this only highlights how bad it can get. With or without Putin’s help polarization will bring an end to many democratic regimes. Continue reading
Voting I: Ranked choice voting is the real thing
As published in Grinnell Herald Register on July 9, 2018
The Washington Post recently published an article entitled Give ranked choice voting a shot. Believe me if we do we’ll never go back. Ranked choice voting (RCV) is better by orders of magnitude. The idea of ranking your choices in order of preference is really not that hard for voters to understand.
As a matter of clarification RCV is not the same thing as instant run-off voting (IRV) as implied in the article. RCV is simply the format of the ballot allowing us to rank our choices whereas IRV is the algorithm most commonly used for sorting out the winner. Continue reading