Bill, I’m for ranked choice open primaries. I’m also for proportional awarding of electoral college votes. That would help to get rid of the idea of “swing states”. If every state awarded electoral college votes by percentage of votes, then every state would contribute to each candidate. Those voters in mostly blue or red states who curr…
Bill, I’m for ranked choice open primaries. I’m also for proportional awarding of electoral college votes. That would help to get rid of the idea of “swing states”. If every state awarded electoral college votes by percentage of votes, then every state would contribute to each candidate. Those voters in mostly blue or red states who currently think that, being in the small minority , their presidential votes don’t matter since the state “always goes in the red/blue column”, might come out and vote.
"proportional awarding of electoral college votes" Yes! Sounds like real democracy! Sounds like people's votes in a National Election having VALUE. Having a half dozen states determine the election undermines voter turnout everywhere.
All States, except for Maine and Nebraska, have a winner-take-all policy where the State looks only at the overall winner of the state-wide popular vote. Maine and Nebraska, however, appoint individual electors based on the winner of the popular vote within each Congressional district and then 2 "at-large" electors based on the winner of the overall state-wide popular vote.
While it is rare for Maine or Nebraska to have a split vote, each has done so twice: Nebraska in 2008, Maine in 2016, and both Maine and Nebraska in 2020.
I have a question about ranked choice voting -- RCV-- (which has made me queasy for some time), and forgive my being ill-informed and possibly paranoid: How does RCV work in the case of hand recounts? It's easy enough (though laborious) to recount single votes, but having to tabulate 2nd or more choices adds complexity.
My paranoia comes from my deep distrust of electronic systems which can be hacked (look at how voting machines were stolen in AZ and I believe GA in 2020 by those pretending to be concerned with vote-rigging.) Hand recounts in both states proved the election wasn't stolen; would RCV complicate or muddy the data?
Doug, the recount would be more extensive since it would be multilayered, with the loser’s votes being reallocated to their 2nd choice candidate. Perhaps, to make things easier, there could be multiple stacks for A’s votes depending on the choices: Ab, Ac, Ad, etc. then Ba, Bc, Bd…
I think that ranked choice would result in less-partisan candidates and, eventually, in fewer recounts due to partisanship “If I lost, it must be because the vote was rigged!” As I recall, 50 years ago, recounts were rare; now they’re a standard part of election denialism.
True, Mary, but such recounts also serve to prove election integrity. Georgia was forced to count votes THREE TIMES, and each recount showed Biden won.
Bill, I’m for ranked choice open primaries. I’m also for proportional awarding of electoral college votes. That would help to get rid of the idea of “swing states”. If every state awarded electoral college votes by percentage of votes, then every state would contribute to each candidate. Those voters in mostly blue or red states who currently think that, being in the small minority , their presidential votes don’t matter since the state “always goes in the red/blue column”, might come out and vote.
"proportional awarding of electoral college votes" Yes! Sounds like real democracy! Sounds like people's votes in a National Election having VALUE. Having a half dozen states determine the election undermines voter turnout everywhere.
Best idea of the day, Mary.
Found this harsh reality at: https://www.archives.gov/electoral-college/allocation
Allocation within each State
All States, except for Maine and Nebraska, have a winner-take-all policy where the State looks only at the overall winner of the state-wide popular vote. Maine and Nebraska, however, appoint individual electors based on the winner of the popular vote within each Congressional district and then 2 "at-large" electors based on the winner of the overall state-wide popular vote.
While it is rare for Maine or Nebraska to have a split vote, each has done so twice: Nebraska in 2008, Maine in 2016, and both Maine and Nebraska in 2020.
I have a question about ranked choice voting -- RCV-- (which has made me queasy for some time), and forgive my being ill-informed and possibly paranoid: How does RCV work in the case of hand recounts? It's easy enough (though laborious) to recount single votes, but having to tabulate 2nd or more choices adds complexity.
My paranoia comes from my deep distrust of electronic systems which can be hacked (look at how voting machines were stolen in AZ and I believe GA in 2020 by those pretending to be concerned with vote-rigging.) Hand recounts in both states proved the election wasn't stolen; would RCV complicate or muddy the data?
Doug, the recount would be more extensive since it would be multilayered, with the loser’s votes being reallocated to their 2nd choice candidate. Perhaps, to make things easier, there could be multiple stacks for A’s votes depending on the choices: Ab, Ac, Ad, etc. then Ba, Bc, Bd…
I think that ranked choice would result in less-partisan candidates and, eventually, in fewer recounts due to partisanship “If I lost, it must be because the vote was rigged!” As I recall, 50 years ago, recounts were rare; now they’re a standard part of election denialism.
True, Mary, but such recounts also serve to prove election integrity. Georgia was forced to count votes THREE TIMES, and each recount showed Biden won.
Doug, the first recount showed integrity. I believe that the second and third were for partisan (“I can’t believe I lost—it must be rigged”) reasons.
No
Kathy, I'm trying to understand who or what you're saying no to. Can you please clarify?
would RCV complicate or muddy the data?