While we have many Californians who care passionately about the state and how it is governed, RCV just adds complexity that most voters are not going to take the time to sort out. I know several people who simply ‘pull the donkey’s tail’ and don’t care a bit about what the candidate might stand for. So now they have three tails to pull. Nothing changes. What we desperately need are new candidates who are not part of the machine, who think independently, and who can reach the voters with an honest message that resonates.
Citizens United has to go
This wretched decision has silenced the voices of all but the stupidly rich and greedy donors....
Right now, we have a duopoly. There’s very little point to running additional candidates because additional candidates can’t win, and worse, they take away votes from the “lesser evil”. With our current election system, the duopoly has a strong argument to hate on third party voters.
With RCV, new candidates can win without hurting their preferred duopoly candidate. That should encourage more parties to run. More candidates should result in better candidates.
RCV should reduce the duopoly and improve the viability of new candidates who think independently without being accused of splitting the votes for the duopoly.
While the OP makes a valid point, I agree with B Lee. My dad used to say that people should have to take a test in order to vote. While his thinking may have been blunt, the idea is to well founded. Not having an understanding of the candidates/issues is a problem. The bottom lines is that the duopoly sux. We need to do whatever we can to change that. I’d like to see the libertarian, constitution, and common sense parties all be viable alternatives. This would be a huge step towards fixing the political system of our nation, which is the second or third problem behind the top problem–our off-the-rails corrupt legal system!
Very Best Regards,
Tom Scott 🗽
Author of Stack the Legal Odds in Your Favor ● Speaker ● Top-Rated Anti-Corruption Blog Contributor ● World’s Leading Expert on the Corrupt U.S. Legal System
http://www.stloiyf.com/blog
***EDITs, I couldn’t find an edit/delete button, and I’m doing this from my phone wherein autocorrect isn’t always helpful***
While the OP makes a valid point, I also agree with B Lee. My dad used to say that people should have to take a test in order to vote. While his thinking may have been blunt, the idea is well founded. This was part of the reason for the establishment of the electoral college. Not having an understanding of the candidates/issues is a problem nationwide. The bottom line is that the duopoly sux. We need to do whatever we can to change that. I’d like to see the libertarian, constitution, and common sense parties all be viable alternatives. Having 5 legitimate parties would be a huge step towards fixing the political system of our nation, which is the second or third biggest problem behind the top problem–our off-the-rails corrupt legal system!
Very Best Regards,
Tom Scott 🗽
Author of Stack the Legal Odds in Your Favor ● Speaker ● Top-Rated Anti-Corruption Blog Contributor ● World’s Leading Expert on the Corrupt U.S. Legal System
http://www.stloiyf.com/blog