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The problem with ranked-choice voting: The voting method that did Sarah Palin in
American Thinker ^ | 02/12/2023 | Thomas Buckley

Posted on 02/13/2023 9:42:08 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Ranked choice voting is the answer to a question only a bureaucrat would even think to ask.

To simplify, RCV is a voting method used most recently in the 2022 Alaskan congressional election which Sarah Palin notoriously lost -- that in theory blurps out a winner that is actually (really really trust us on this) the most representative of the wishes of the electorate.

This magic trick is accomplished by people voting for their first choice, second, etc. and then the numbers are added up and moved about and cut and pasted and then the registrar of voters announces a winner a few weeks after Election Day (here is a more technical description of the process from a D.C.-based group that supports the idea.)

The specifics of the process are not complicated but they are intensely obtuse, leading to one of the major criticisms of RCV:  trust in election systems is the foundational bedrock of a democratic republic and if that system is turned into a complicated black box, then that trust is damaged, harming the nation as a whole.

But the overly complicated specifics of the system may, in fact, be the least of its problems.

In reviewing pro-RCV articles and editorials and papers, one thing becomes very clear: political insiders, especially of the “progressive” stripe, love it.

It is popular in that milieu in part because of its complexity -- it needs more government workers to count and explain than regular voting.

It’s also popular because it favors a certain type of candidate and a certain type of campaign, to whit “moderate” and “nice.”

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Alaska
KEYWORDS: rankchoice; sarahpalin; voting
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In an RCV election, the candidate wants to get the largest number of votes while infuriating the least number of voters; in other words, campaigns become more personality driven, more milquetoast, more sound bitey, less aggressive, less issue-oriented (taking a definitive stance on a specific issue could alienate folks who might otherwise pick you as their second vote, etc.)

In head-to-head elections, none of those concerns apply, allowing (admittedly this is currently theoretical) voters to see a far more complete picture of the candidates.

1 posted on 02/13/2023 9:42:08 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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These election are just to put in a fake conservative to split the conservative vote. This doesn’t work with fake liberals


2 posted on 02/13/2023 9:45:22 AM PST by dsrtsage ( Complexity is just simple lacking imagination)
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To: SeekAndFind

The ultimate effect is, some people get to vote two or three times. The candidate with the least votes is dropped, so all the people who voted for him have their second choice vote counted.


3 posted on 02/13/2023 9:54:01 AM PST by sima_yi ( Reporting live from the far North)
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To: sima_yi

The answer to this problem is to NEVER vote for ANY democrat. If you have ranked choice ballot do not rank a democrat


4 posted on 02/13/2023 9:58:41 AM PST by Fai Mao (Stop feeding the beast, and steal its food!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Ranked choice voting is insane


5 posted on 02/13/2023 10:04:19 AM PST by Nifster ( EI see puppy dogs in the clouds )
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To: SeekAndFind

I may be wrong but it appears to me that this is just another way for the Democrats to cheat.


6 posted on 02/13/2023 10:07:34 AM PST by antidemoncrat
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To: SeekAndFind

Coming soon to nevaDUH. Because “everyone should have their vote count!”. Dumbasses! They are. Some more than once. 😏😎👍


7 posted on 02/13/2023 10:12:00 AM PST by rktman (Destroy America from within? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this? 😕)
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To: SeekAndFind

whenever there are voting changes in the name of “equity”, conservatives become less than equal.


8 posted on 02/13/2023 10:14:30 AM PST by llevrok (Pronouns: Me/myself/& I)
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To: SeekAndFind

A brief history lesson. Elections used to be held by have every voter gather at a central location. All those for Smith, stand over there, all those for Jones, stand over here. Everyone could see who voted for whom and everyone who could count knew who won.

If you couldn’t make the meeting, you didn’t vote. You couldn’t send a neighbor to vote for you. And since everyone knew everyone, you couldn’t vote in a district where you didn’t live.

A very primitive system that worked for hundreds of years and capable of being understood by all but the very dimmest. We have now ‘progressed’ to a system that while simple in theory takes time to explain, is understood by few, and takes weeks to declare a winner. The march of progress is a wonderful thing.


9 posted on 02/13/2023 10:16:17 AM PST by hanamizu
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To: Nifster
RCV is unduly complex. Any addition of complexity comes with the cost of increased opportunity for chicanery.
10 posted on 02/13/2023 10:20:11 AM PST by The_Media_never_lie (Remember August 8!)
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To: SeekAndFind

It saved Murk and took out Palin. Mitch wins again.


11 posted on 02/13/2023 10:25:00 AM PST by gibsonguy
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To: SeekAndFind
Rank choice voting gives more power to those who control the media, and thus, the narrative.
12 posted on 02/13/2023 10:27:08 AM PST by marktwain
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To: Nifster

Ranked choice voting gives aid and comfort to the domestic enemies of the United States.

Complete voting rights can be accomplished for each elective office on the ballot, by allowing each voter to cast either a positive or a negative vote for only one of the candidates (just as in voting for a proposition or referendum).

The ballots are then counted and each candidate’s net votes are calculated by subtracting the number of negative votes from the number of positive votes. For each office the candidate with the most positive (or least negative) net votes wins.

This method allows a voter to vote against the most objectionable among bad candidates, rather than being left to vote for the least objectionable among bad candidates.


13 posted on 02/13/2023 10:32:19 AM PST by Carl Vehse (A proud member of the LGBFJB community)
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To: SeekAndFind
RCV should be destroyed ...

runoffs should be required if needed to reach a majority ...

primaries should be optional if a party chooses to have one ...
14 posted on 02/13/2023 10:34:31 AM PST by bankwalker (Repeal the 19th ...)
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To: gibsonguy

And remember Murk endorsed Palin’s opponent in the general election!


15 posted on 02/13/2023 10:36:06 AM PST by Maine Mariner
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To: hanamizu

The problem with having everyone see how you vote is that you can be threatened by job loss if you don’t vote the ‘right way’

Tammany Hall, a corrupt democratic vote machine in NYC, would have people fired from jobs if they didn’t’ t vote for the Tammany candidates.

Secret ballots have their issues but I don’t think we want to return to having everyone see your vote.


16 posted on 02/13/2023 10:36:35 AM PST by sloanrb
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To: Fai Mao

Are incomplete ballots rejected?


17 posted on 02/13/2023 10:38:19 AM PST by Venkman (klaatu barada nikto)
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To: sloanrb

The problem with having everyone see how you vote is that you can be threatened by job loss if you don’t vote the ‘right way’


At the time, the big worry was that you wouldn’t vote for the guy who gave you a shot of whiskey!

The idea of a ‘secret ballot’ came from Australia in the early 20th century. Before its adoption ballot boxes had glass sides and the different parties had different colored ballots specifically so people could see how you voted.

And yes, if you had a city job back in the day, you better vote the way the bosses told you!

(I wasn’t arguing for the old way, just explaining how it worked).


18 posted on 02/13/2023 10:44:20 AM PST by hanamizu
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To: dsrtsage

RCV eliminates a prImary. Since the R party is full of massive egos, there are always a ton of R candidates.

The Dem meet in a smoky back room, cut deals and put up a single candidate.

The R vote is split, the D wins. Pretty simple if you can observe what is actually going on.

There is an effort going on here in AK to kill off RCV - but if mail in voting is not killed as well, we will never see a majority R govt - anywhere - ever again.

Welcome to CalifornUSA.


19 posted on 02/13/2023 10:59:26 AM PST by ASOC (This space for rent)
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To: Venkman

...That was my understanding too.

If you don’t rank all candidates on your ballot, the ballot is considered incomplete, and is discarded.

May resolute votes would be tossed out.

Am I wrong?


20 posted on 02/13/2023 11:04:02 AM PST by OldCountryBoy (You can't make this stuff up!)
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