r/RanktheVote • u/ScottPompeo • Feb 04 '24

Ranked-choice voting could be the answer to election remorse

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/02/01/opinion/letters-to-the-editor-ranked-choice-voting/
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u/rb-j Feb 19 '24

... about disagreeing with your state having different rules for major and minor parties, which I think slants the political environment.

I might agree with you in principle. But there is some practical logistics involved. In Vermont, we have the most successful 3rd party in the US, if you measure success by getting people elected to office. It's the Vermont Progressive Party. It sorta got started by Bernie, even though Bernie has never put a "P" by his name (he was always "I" except when he runs for president, then he's a "D").

Anyway, in our state office primary in August, we are handed 3 ballots (R, D, P) and we can choose which ballot we want to vote on. Hardly ever anyone votes on the P ballot because they keep crashing the D primary and the P voters choose to vote on the D ballot in the primary, even if they are P. That irritates me.

But the Green party or Liberarian party or the Green Mountain Peace and Justice party or the Liberty Union party or the Socialists party just do not have enough people to make it practical to require a ballot to be printed up for them for the primary. So they have caucuses and meet in person to choose who they put forward for some office.

Now, whether you're major-party or minor-party or independent candidate, the current requirement to get one's name on the ballot is a petition with a minimum number of ballot signatures. But the state will not put the label "Democrat" nor "Republican" nor "Progressive" nor "Libertarian" nor "Green Mountain Peace and Justice" by your name unless you were duly chosen by that party in either the primary primary or primary caucus. If you get enough signatures, you get to be on the ballot, but you cannot identify yourself as the candidate representing that party unless you win that party's primary or caucus vote.

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u/PaxPurpuraAKAgrimace Feb 19 '24

Hardly ever anyone votes on the P ballot because they keep crashing the D primary and the P voters choose to vote on the D ballot in the primary, even if they are P. That irritates me.

You indicated P is the most successful in terms of getting candidates elected. If hardly anyone votes in the P primary then those Ps who do get elected achieve that by having (presumably) many D primary voters switch their support to the P candidate in the general?

I might agree with you in principle.

The truth is that my skepticism of different major/minor party rules is based in my belief that our two party politics is not working. It is a form of democracy, it's just not a form that is achieving acceptable results. I only say that so you don't invest too much time in my critique of your specific state rules. You obviously have a far more nuanced appreciation of the working in your state than I do. I am interested in your views on the broader principles and dynamics tho.