California Needs Ranked Choice Voting
This current primary showed us it's time for a change
Election day was Tuesday and it’s now Thursday, but we haven’t got a declared winner in the two most anticipated races in our state. As of 3:30 PM we still don’t know which two candidates will face off in either the LA Mayor’s or CA Governor’s races.
Why does it take so long to count the votes in California? Our state is laser focused on voting fairness and accuracy. That’s a good thing and it contributes to the delay. It also provides ammunition for unfounded accusations by the Liar-In-Chief in the White House who concludes that the slow count is indicative of ballot manipulation. It has consistently been proven that Republicans in our state vote early, while Dems tend to submit their ballots later. That’s more true this year than ever, so early support for Republican candidates will likely erode as the later, bluer votes are counted.
This year’s election was more fraught with anxiety, confusion and concern among Democrats who saw early predictions stating we might end up with two Republicans in the November runoff for Governor. There was a scramble to determine which two Dems were most likely to rise in popularity with our top-two primary system. Consequently, Dems were told repeatedly that they should hold their ballots until close to election day to make sure they voted ONLY for one of the two highest polling candidates from their party.
This top-two system was promoted (and subsequently approved by voters) by then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2010. It replaced the traditional primary system many states use which allows each party to choose their preferred candidate who runs against the other party’s chosen contender. Top-two was supposed to lead to more moderation among those trying to be elected because voters from either party could vote for them. Anyone watching debates with the candidates this year could see moderation was absent on the stages.
After the chaos of this primary cycle, some are proposing that it’s time to move away from the top-two primary, but they’re suggesting we return to the traditional two-party primaries of the past.
My Democratic club, Valley Grassroots for Democracy has spent a fair amount of time learning about Ranked Choice Voting, or RCV, this year. Our dedicated member, George Vamos, has been actively involved in helping our city explore this system.
The nonprofit, nonpartisan Cal Matters newsletter released an article today explaining the arguments from Tom Charron, co-founder of the California Ranked Choice Voting Coalition. “Ranked choice allows voters to rank their candidates by preference. If a voter’s top choice doesn’t receive enough votes to win, their vote goes to their second preference, then third, and so on. Several California cities already use it for mayoral contests, including Oakland and San Francisco.”
RCV is currently being used across the country in Alaska, Maine, New York City, Cambridge, Massachusetts and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Fair Vote’s website defines themselves as, “a nonpartisan organization seeking better elections for all. We research and advance voting reforms that make democracy more functional and representative for every American.” Endorsements online from both Democrats and Republicans commend their work to promote RCV in America.
Fair Vote’s 2024 article cites this global use data: “RCV has long been used in public elections outside the United States. Australia has used RCV to elect its House and Senate – for over 100 years and about 75 years, respectively. Ireland has also used RCV to elect its parliament and president for over a century. Northern Ireland uses RCV to elect its legislature. RCV is used in Scotland and New Zealand in local elections.”
“In May, the nonpartisan nonprofit Independent Voter Project launched a group aimed at bringing ranked choice to California via a constitutional amendment that could go before voters in 2028,” according to Cal Matters.
We have given the top-two primary system in California sixteen years to prove itself. This year’s primary was a shitshow, by most measures. I believe it’s time to try something new. Others have been using RCV successfully for over a century. I say it’s time to give this exciting alternative voting system a try.
Other changes will need to address the speed with which we count our votes in CA, but I appreciate that our electeds are unwilling to compromise fairness and accuracy for speed.
Joyce, you are right on! We need legislation to make this happen NOW!!
I agree that ranked choice voting is the way to go.