4 Comments

I just exited from the LP due to its dive into bat-$#!+ malevolence and am now out here in limbo land with the other near 50% of unaffiliated voters. If I could participate in the democratic process by being permitted to choose between candidates from all parties that would be great. And it would be a blessed relief if there were less incentive for political candidates to go full lunatic in a quest to appeal to the vilest yet also most highly motivated folks in the room.

Maybe there is a way out of this Idiocracy.

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Those skeptical of democracy in general and of voters in particular will definitely oppose open primaries and RCV. (Alas, there appear to be more than a few such folks.) Also those in political party power positions may be unsettled about a system that gives voters a bit more influence in election outcomes and gives political parties a bit less - understandable; no one likes to lose power and influence.

But an unbiased look (assuming one is generally supportive of democracy) can only be supportive of open primaries and RCV. And no, the "RCV-is-too-confusing" argument just doesn't cut it anymore. Anyone perplexed by how to vote an RCV ballot undoubtedly has many more cognitive challenges in day-to-day living than voting.

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Ranked choice voting is an excellent system that can help reduce voter apathy!

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What are your criteria for saying the results in Alaska were promising? Are you saying they make more likely policy outcomes you favor as an "independent?"

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