Monday, October 19, 2020

Ranked-Choice Voting Makes More Votes Count

   Ranked-choice voting ensures that everyone's vote counts, even if you vote for someone who isn't going to win. Sometimes, we fail to vote for someone we like because we know they aren't going to win, and we are afraid voting for them is just a wasted vote.

   Not so, with ranked-choice voting. You give your first choice, your second choice, your third choice, and your fourth choice. The votes are then tallied, with only the first-choice votes being tallied. If no single candidate takes 50 percent of the vote, then the candidate who received the least votes is eliminated, and the ballots of those who voted for him are then rechecked, to see who their second choice was, and their votes are reassigned to that person.

   You keep doing that -- eliminating the bottom vote-getter and reassigning their votes -- until someone gathers in 50 percent of the vote.

   So, you can vote for who you like and not feel like you are wasting your vote. If your person is eliminated, your vote will be reassigned to one of your lesser choices and your vote could still end up helping a viable candidate. 

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