Ranked-choice vote in Maine

[Old Woman in Purple]

Maine Voters to Rank All Candidates Rather Than Pick One


"Maine voters will be able to choose more than one candidate in crowded primaries Tuesday, including contests for the governor’s race.

Voters in 2016 approved the new system that allows them to pick candidates in order of preference, elevating a system known as ranked-choice voting from use in several U.S. cities.

Proponents of ranked-choice voting say it has a simple goal: an election where the winning candidate has more than 50% support—something that hasn’t often happened in races for Maine’s highest office. They also say this is a smart way to give voters more input while eliminating fears that independents and third-party candidates will be vote-splitting spoilers. ..."

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WANT!

 

[Tigers!]

Maine Voters to Rank All Candidates Rather Than Pick One


"Maine voters will be able to choose more than one candidate in crowded primaries Tuesday, including contests for the governor’s race.

Voters in 2016 approved the new system that allows them to pick candidates in order of preference, elevating a system known as ranked-choice voting from use in several U.S. cities.

Proponents of ranked-choice voting say it has a simple goal: an election where the winning candidate has more than 50% support—something that hasn’t often happened in races for Maine’s highest office. They also say this is a smart way to give voters more input while eliminating fears that independents and third-party candidates will be vote-splitting spoilers. ..."

....

WANT!

We have that in Australia for decades.
Do try to keep up.

 

[RavenSky]

Maine Voters to Rank All Candidates Rather Than Pick One


"Maine voters will be able to choose more than one candidate in crowded primaries Tuesday, including contests for the governor’s race.

Voters in 2016 approved the new system that allows them to pick candidates in order of preference, elevating a system known as ranked-choice voting from use in several U.S. cities.

Proponents of ranked-choice voting say it has a simple goal: an election where the winning candidate has more than 50% support—something that hasn’t often happened in races for Maine’s highest office. They also say this is a smart way to give voters more input while eliminating fears that independents and third-party candidates will be vote-splitting spoilers. ..."

....

WANT!

Sounds interesting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant-runoff_voting

I wonder what would have happened in the 2016 Republican primaries if we had ranked-choice voting for that race.

 

[lpetrich]

I wonder what would have happened in the 2016 Republican primaries if we had ranked-choice voting for that race.

There was a poll taken in early 2016 that expressed exactly that issue. Ranked Choice Poll of GOP Voters Yields Insights - FairVote

Donald Trump won 37% of first choices, but only 10% of second choices and 22% of eleventh choices, the last possible one in this race. So Republican voters either loved him or hated him.

Doing best at second were Ted Cruz at 20% and Marco Rubio at 17%. Doing best at third were Ben Carson at 16% and Jeb Bush at 10%. Jeb Bush also picked up toward the end, doing 15% at eleventh.

Here is how the ranked-choice / instant-runoff counting went. The loser of each round is in ()'s.

• 0: Bush 4.88% Carson 7.37% Christie 3.12% Cruz 21.50% Fiorina 3.01% Huckabee 2.18% Kasich 3.43% Paul 5.82% Rubio 12.98% (Santorum 0.93%) Trump 34.79%
• 1: Bush 4.88% Carson 7.58% Christie 3.22% Cruz 21.60% Fiorina 3.12% (Huckabee 2.39%) Kasich 3.53% Paul 5.92% Rubio 12.98% Trump 34.79%
• 2: Bush 4.98% Carson 8.31% Christie 3.43% Cruz 21.91% (Fiorina 3.22%) Kasich 3.53% Paul 6.44% Rubio 13.19% Trump 34.99%
• 3: Bush 5.50% Carson 9.03% (Christie 3.53%) Cruz 22.33% Kasich 3.63% Paul 6.65% Rubio 14.02% Trump 35.31%
• 4: Bush 6.44% Carson 9.25% Cruz 22.56% (Kasich 4.05%) Paul 6.96% Rubio 14.86% Trump 35.86%
• 5: Bush 7.50% Carson 9.48% Cruz 22.92% (Paul 7.50%) Rubio 16.15% Trump 36.46%
• 6: (Bush 8.66%) Carson 10.65% Cruz 24.74% Rubio 18.06% Trump 37.89%
• 7: (Carson 12.46%) Cruz 26.39% Rubio 21.57% Trump 39.58%
• 8: Cruz 31.65% (Rubio 25.45%) Trump 42.90%
• 9: Cruz 50.68% (Trump 49.32%)

So Ted Cruz barely wins.

 

[lpetrich]

Here are how the top votes changed after each lowest-count candidate drops out.

• Bush 0.00% Carson 0.21% Christie 0.10% Cruz 0.10% Fiorina 0.11% Huckabee 0.21% Kasich 0.10% Paul 0.10% Rubio 0.00% (Santorum -0.93%) Trump 0.00%
• Bush 0.10% Carson 0.73% Christie 0.21% Cruz 0.31% Fiorina 0.10% (Huckabee -2.39%) Kasich 0.00% Paul 0.52% Rubio 0.21% Trump 0.20%
• Bush 0.52% Carson 0.72% Christie 0.10% Cruz 0.42% (Fiorina -3.22%) Kasich 0.10% Paul 0.21% Rubio 0.83% Trump 0.32%
• Bush 0.94% Carson 0.22% (Christie -3.53%) Cruz 0.23% Kasich 0.42% Paul 0.31% Rubio 0.84% Trump 0.55%
• Bush 1.06% Carson 0.23% Cruz 0.36% (Kasich -4.05%) Paul 0.54% Rubio 1.29% Trump 0.60%
• Bush 1.16% Carson 1.17% Cruz 1.82% (Paul -7.50%) Rubio 1.91% Trump 1.43%
• (Bush -8.66%) Carson 1.81% Cruz 1.65% Rubio 3.51% Trump 1.69%
• (Carson -12.46%) Cruz 5.26% Rubio 3.88% Trump 3.32%
• Cruz 19.03% (Rubio -25.45%) Trump 6.42%
• Cruz 49.32% (Trump -49.32%)

 

[Treedbear]

Ranked choice voting makes the plurality system seem like a crapshoot in comparison. Unfortunately Maine's constitution stipulates the winner as having the plurality, so only possible in their primaries. Ranked choice is the only rational system for all elections. I just haven't heard the cons, and in particular what it means for the electoral college.

 

[bleubird]

https://www.alaskapublic.org/2021/0...erts-say-now-is-the-time-to-educate-and-test/

I had forgot that this passed last year. Thoughts?

As a life long Dem I may vote for Lisa.

 

[Rhea]

Enjoy your vote! I’m glad for it. It gives a chance to other messages and positions getting a place on the ballot.