For me, it’s clear. Our recent primary election demonstrates why I’ll be supporting the ranked-choice voting initiative that will be on our November ballots in Clark County.
Personally, I’m pleased that Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has secured her place in the upcoming general election. It’s great that voters will have a choice between a Republican and a Democrat. However, it’s clear that our voting method in the primary left a lot to be desired.
Of all the voters, 64.08% cast their vote for someone other than Gluesenkamp Perez, only 22.41% voted for Joe Kent, and 21.48% voted for Jaime Herrera Beutler (at my last count). That means Kent will move forward to the general election with the support of only a small base of voters.
Our voting method has resulted in a very polarizing outcome, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
We could adopt ranked-choice voting (RCV). Ranked-choice voting is a simple improvement to the way we vote. With RCV, you can rank candidates on your ballot in the order you prefer: first choice, second choice, third choice, and so on. If your favorite can’t win, your vote counts for your next choice.
Have you ever felt like you were voting for someone that didn’t stand a chance of winning? Have you ever had to vote for the “lesser evil”? Or have you ever worried about a candidate’s “electability”? RCV means you don’t have to worry about any of these problems. Vote for who you really want, and then rank backup choices. RCV lets you vote your hopes, not your fears.
On top of that benefit, RCV eliminates vote splitting, meaning the candidates that win will actually represent the consensus of the electorate. Republican voters sure would have benefited if they could have ranked their choices in the race for Congress.
There are other benefits of ranked-choice voting, too. It makes campaigns more civil, it produces more competitive elections with more candidates, and it even saves money and time, by eliminating the need for a primary or a run-off election. What’s not to like?
Some people are initially suspicious of RCV if they haven’t heard of it before. They might think it’s a partisan ploy. But in reality, RCV is embraced across the board by conservatives in Utah and Alaska to progressives in New York City and Oakland. In fact, 43 jurisdictions across the nation used RCV in their most recent elections.
I’m grateful to live in a country where I’m allowed to vote, but our system isn’t perfect. RCV is nonpartisan and will only strengthen our democracy and ensure that your vote isn’t wasted. And because voters feel more enfranchised by the voting process, elections are likely to see a stronger voter turnout. It’s faster, cheaper, less polarizing, and a step toward a more representative democracy. I hope you will join me in voting yes on ranked-choice voting this November. We sure need it.
Pamela Tracy,
Battle Ground
