Newton League of Women Voters Endorses “Yes” on Question 2

by | Oct 15, 2020 | Newton | 5 comments

Via email tonight:

SUPPORTING YES ON QUESTION 2

The League of Women of Voters of Massachusetts (LWVMA) and the League of Women Voters, Newton (LWVN) support and urge a YES vote on Question 2 Rank Choice Voting (RCV) for primary and general elections for state executive officials, state legislators, federal congressional representatives, and certain county offices.

RCV is a voting method in which voters rank candidates according to their preferences. The LWVN thought it was important to provide our members and Newton Voters more information about RCV.  Therefore, Marcia Johnson had a conversation with Susan Millinger, LWVMA and LWV Amherst Steering Committee about RCV https://vimeo.com/468312346  and covered the following topics:

·       History and Benefits of RCV:

  1. The key differences between RCV and Plurality system, e.g. 2 party system vs multiple parties.
  2. The reasons as to why the League supports this ballot question
  3. The mechanics of how this works and what does it take for a candidate to win?
  4. The challenges and potential drawbacks to RCV.

For more information, please refer to the Secretary of States’ Office.

Thank you!

 

5 Comments

  1. Michael
    Michael on October 19, 2020 at 10:25 pm

    Check 1, check 2, check check, is this website still on?

  3. Michael
    Michael on October 25, 2020 at 9:53 pm

    Some Democrats, too, have preached wariness. Kevin Connor, an aide to state Senator Harriette L. Chandler, warned in a Commonwealth Magazine op-ed that Murdoch’s endorsement of ranked-choice voting as a way to help alleviate extreme partisanship “erases the impact of progressive champions like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley.” He added that “for Massachusetts progressives fighting the status quo, a voting regime that drags election results to the center should be viewed with skepticism — especially when moneyed interests are so supportive.”

    Huh? Ocasio-Cortez won the 2018 primary against Crowley with 57% of the vote, then she won the general election with 78%. Pressley won her 2018 primary against Capuano with 57%, and then she won the general election with 98%. Ranked-choice voting wouldn’t have impacted any of those four races.

    In the race where it truly would have had an impact, i.e. the MA-04 primary, Connor claims that ranked-choice voting wouldn’t have necessarily prevented Auchincloss’ victory. I’ve got news for Connor: it most certainly would have, and it will most certainly prevent Auchincloss from being reelected in 2022.

    There may be a valid argument against ranked-choice voting, but so far nobody with any mathematical aptitude has been able to make the case.

  4. Michael Slater
    Michael Slater on October 26, 2020 at 7:20 am

    I voted against RCV although I fully expect it to win.

    I don’t feel that it’s been studied enough. I look at states like California where the two most recent Democratic Governors have vetoed legislation against RCV and seem strongly opposed based on local experience there.

    I’m also uncomfortable with the notion of the leading vote getter not winning. If we had RCV in our recent Congressional primary I think that Jesse Mermell would have won vs. Jake. She was a fine candidate, but I don’t know how I feel about voters’ second choice preference determining a winner in a large field primary.

    RCV avoids the additional costs of a runoff election. Maybe it’s better for that reason, but I’m convinced that if this passes that there will be a lot of buyer’s remorse, and many implementation issues.