What Is a Rating Vote?
On Wednesday, MPs held a ranked vote in Maine’s presidential election, which would effectively mean ditching factions for presidential primaries based on voters’ preferences. A Rating vote of choice is exactly what its name suggests; instead of voting for any one candidate, voters have the ability to rank multiple candidates.
These preferences are taken into account when the majority of votes are not established. Proponents argue that it is a more inclusive voting system that better reflects the needs of most citizens. However, it has not been without serious criticism, many call the system ” unconstitutional.” “
Is rating voting so easy?
Quite a bit of. Voters will be able to rank their preferences in the elections. If a candidate fails to obtain a majority of votes, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is excluded based on that rating. Voters who voted in support of the excluded candidates then factor in their second choice. This process will be repeated as necessary until a candidate with a majority has been identified.
Has this been done before?
Yes! In fact, it is currently used locally in several US cities , including Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Santa Fe in mayoral elections.
Maine legislators also voted in favor of the system in some elections ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, using a ranking system based on first, second, and third preference; The Maine Senate and the first Congressional circuit race have concluded their first rounds.
However, the race for the second congressional district took place in several rounds: Democrat Jared Golden defeated incumbent President and Republican Bruce Poliquin ; Poliquin later filed a federal lawsuit calling the system “unconstitutional.” (He lost to Golden in December.)
However, no state has yet passed the rating voting system for the presidential election. Other countries also use a similar rating selection voting system, including countries such as Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand.
What are the supporters arguing about?
Few things. Fair Vote , a non-partisan voter reform organization, claims that it actually contributes to majority support – given that candidates can win elections without actually getting a majority – in addition to giving voters more choice. They also argue that this minimizes “strategic” voting:
Voters should be able to vote for the candidates they support, and not just against the candidates they most oppose. However, in an election without a rating vote, voters may feel like they need to vote for the “lesser of two evils” because their favorite candidate is less likely to win. With Ranked Pick, you can fairly rank candidates in order of choice without worrying about how others will vote or who is more or less likely to win.
What do the critics say?
Most critics argue that the ranking system still has several logistical flaws.
In Maine, Poliquin also argued that he had more preference for the former during the initial vote, but lost when Golden absorbed the votes of the excluded candidates – nevertheless, Golden’s victory is representative of the general majority of voters; Polykhin was, on the whole, a less preferred candidate.
Depending on the type of election, it is also possible that a voter’s ballot may not count towards the rating system, as the Democracy Journal writes:
Let’s say there are five candidates running, but the voter takes only three seats, and all three drop out before the last round. As a result, none of their votes will go to the winning candidate or runner-up. In fact, their vote does not affect the outcome.
What happens next?
The bill has passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate and is currently pending before Gov. Janet Mills, a decision that could affect the upcoming elections.