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Independent Voter News
Can Ranked-Choice Voting Change U.S. Elections?
Proponents confident they'll get ranked-choice voting on the Mass. ballot
May 28 2020
Griffiths is a contributor to Independent Voter News.
Voter Choice for Massachusetts 2020 announced Wednesday that it has smashed the signature requirement to get ranked-choice voting on the November ballot. Campaign workers say they are on pace to collect the most signatures for a ballot initiative in Massachusetts history.
In an email to supporters, the campaign said it has collected 17,084 raw signatures, and is averaging over 800 new signatures per day. It needs 13,347 verified signatures by June 17 to go before state voters in the general election.
If approved, Massachusetts in 2022 would become the second state, after nearby Maine, to adopt the system for electing all state executive officials, legislators and members of Congress.
<p>"Thanks to our amazing volunteers, we're right on track to meet and exceed our campaign goal of 25,000" the campaign said.<br/></p><p>According to the campaign, the signature validity rate is around 73 percent. This means it appears likely that the campaign has already cleared the necessary bar it needs to get to November, and should have more than enough cushion by the deadline.</p><p>The coronavirus pandemic has threatened the success of many ballot initiatives across the country. However, <a href="https://voterchoice2020.org/" target="_blank">Voter Choice Mass</a> scored <a href="https://ivn.us/posts/courts-will-protect-the-voting-rights-of-party-members-but-why-not-independents" target="_blank">a major legal victory</a> that allowed campaign workers and volunteers to collect signatures electronically in the second stage of the signature gathering process. The state already certified over 111,000 signatures for the statewide ranked-choice voting campaign <a href="https://voterchoice2020.org/state-certifies-over-111000-signatures-ranked-choice-voting-ballot/" target="_blank">in December</a>.</p><p>Voter Choice Mass credits its success to the motivation of its volunteers, who it says have put in the time to reach thousands of Massachusetts voters every day — even in these uncertain times. </p><p>In RCV elections, which have also been embraced by a score of cities, voters list candidates for each office in order of preference. A candidate receiving a majority of first-place ballots wins. Otherwise, the candidate with the fewest No. 1 votes is eliminated. Then the ballots ranking that candidate No. 1 are redistributed based on their No. 2 rankings. This process is repeated until one candidate reaches a majority. It is allso called an "instant runoff" system.</p><p><em>Visit </em><a href="https://ivn.us/" target="_blank"><em>IVN.us</em></a><em> for more coverage from Independent Voter News.</em></p>
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Time to engage the biggest electoral bloc: Americans who are not voters
May 18 2020
Fisher is deputy director of Unite America, which works to enact and helps finance political reform efforts and candidates "who put people over party." (It is a donor to The Fulcrum.) This piece was originally published by Independent Voter News.
<p>Had "Did Not Vote" been a candidate for president in 2016, they would have won handedly. With 41.3 percent of the vote, this block of the electorate significantly outpaced the share of all voters who chose Hillary Clinton (28.5 percent) or Donald Trump (27.3 percent).</p><p>Despite the best efforts of both parties to turn out citizens to the polls, voter apathy remains a well-documented reality of American politics. It's an especially alarming reality when compared to our peers. Of the members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which represents the world's 32 richest and most developed countries, the United States ranks 26th in voter turnout by eligible citizens. </p><p>American nonvoters are the subject of recently released research, <a href="https://the100million.org/" target="_blank">The 100 Million Project</a>, commissioned by the Knight Foundation and the centerpiece for a Tuesday <a href="https://thefulcrum.us/the-untold-story-of-american-non-voters" target="_blank">online forum on civic engagement</a> sponsored by the Brennan Center for Justice.</p><p>Informed by a survey of 4,000 persistent non-voters nationwide and 8,000 persistent non-voters in 10 battleground states, the research is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of why many Americans don't exercise their civic duty. </p><p>The methodology used is unique in today's political industry. Almost always, pollsters terminate public opinion surveys as soon as respondents indicate they are unlikely to, or will not, vote in the next election. The result is an entire swath of the electorate whose attitudes and preferences go under analyzed and untold.</p><p>There are many reasons citizens don't vote, according to the research. </p><p>First and foremost, non-voters report a scarcity of candidates who truly motivate and inspire them to participate. </p><p>Second, they lack faith in the system; 48 percent of non-voters do not believe the results of elections represent the will of the people, and they are more likely than regular voters to believe election results are not reported accurately. </p><p>Third, non-voters are less likely to believe the actions of the president and other elected officials have an impact on their life. </p><p>And finally, news is viewed 25 percent less often by non-voters compared to voters, suggesting they are less informed.</p><p>There also remain simple reasons that dictate why voters don't participate, including high barriers to entry in our antiquated electoral systems.</p><p>We can help engage non-voters by making it easier to cast a ballot. Proactively mailing every voter a ballot — which is what will happen in just five states this year — could boost participation by up to 9 percent, according to new research. And the gains are equal across party affiliation and most likely to benefit constituencies that tend to vote less frequently — including young people, minorities and the poor.</p><p>To overcome the top reason why voters don't vote — a dearth of options they actually believe in — we should consider reforms that could lead to a multiparty democracy. Lee Drutman's recent book, "<a data-linked-post="2645441124" href="https://thefulcrum.us/big-picture/6-of-the-most-important-democracy-books-of-the-past-6-months" target="_blank">Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop</a>," argues that a combination of ranked-choice voting and multimember districts would open our system up to new competition, and likely give more Americans more reason to vote.</p><p>But perhaps non-voters will change behavior on their own. Surprisingly, 71 percent of the non-voters surveyed say they plan to vote in this year's presidential election, with 78 percent of those respondents saying they were absolutely certain. This seems to be because 57 percent believe the 2020 contest is more important than previous elections and only 33 percent believe the country is on the right track.</p><p>Of course, the political science literature is littered with consensus that the fact voters say they're going to vote is a terrible indicator for if they actually will. </p><p>Candidates, political consultants and organizations who often consume themselves with only engaging the most likely to vote should consider whether — by engaging America's largest political constituency — they take the lead in creating a more representative and functional government.</p><div></div><p><em>Visit </em><a href="https://ivn.us/" target="_blank"><em>IVN.us</em></a><em> for more coverage from Independent Voter News.</em></p>
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How a Justin Amash presidential bid could help the cause of democracy reform
Apr 30 2020
Griffiths is a contributor to Independent Voter News, where an earlier version of this piece first appeared.
<p>Michigan's Justin Amash has a storied history as a political outsider in Washington. Although he's won five terms in Congress with an "R" next to his name, he often bucked the establishment and party line on issues such as spending, war, government surveillance and marijuana legalization. </p><p>He quit the Republican Party 10 months ago and is the only member listed as an independent on the official House roster. And on Tuesday he announced he would explore a run for the Libertarian Party's nomination for president – which would mean putting his rebellious streak on the national line by mounting a longshot challenge to the flawed ways the two major parties monopolize our democratic system.</p><p>Here is a little background: Amash was the only GOP member of the House to come out in favor of impeaching President Trump, almost a year ago. By then he had established a reputation as one of the few Republicans to consistently speak out against the president. </p><p>Amash's support for impeachment drew the ire of the group in which he was once a prominent figure: the House Freedom Caucus. It was a decision that also put a major target on his back.</p><p>On the Republican side, the party would no doubt run well-funded challengers to oust him in the primary. On the other side, Democrats saw an opportunity to flip his seat. So, Amash was feeling pressure from both parties to get out of Congress.</p><p>Instead, he<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/justin-amash-our-politics-is-in-a-partisan-death-spiral-thats-why-im-leaving-the-gop/2019/07/04/afbe0480-9e3d-11e9-b27f-ed2942f73d70_story.html?utm_term=.dd33dc35de25" target="_blank"> dropped the GOP party label</a> last July and declared himself an independent, which made his path to reelection much more challenging given how the current system emphasizes a limited choice for voters — red or blue, Republican or Democrat.</p><p>Now, Amash looks to be headed up or out. He <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/15/politics/justin-amash-presidential-run-decision-soon/index.html" target="_blank">announced in April</a> that he had stopped actively campaigning for reelection — although he still remains in the race. And on Tuesday night he <a href="https://twitter.com/justinamash/status/1255293442516815872" target="_blank">went onTwitter</a> to unveil a new website, "Amash for America," that strongly signaled his intent to run for president.</p><p>"We're ready," the homepage says, for "an end to cronyism" and "an honest, principled president who will defend the Constitution and put individuals first." </p><p>A third party contender who has built the sort of public profile Amash has could shake up the race — drawing votes from both sides of the aisle and bringing in independents. However, this means he would immediately be scapegoated as a spoiler. And, no matter the outcome, he would be blamed by the losing major party for its defeat in November.</p><p>Kurt Couchman, who used to work in Amash's Washington congressional office, penned <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/07/opinions/justin-amash-derail-2020-election-couchman/index.html" target="_blank">an op-ed for CNN.com</a> in July 2019 describing how Amash could change the electoral landscape in 2020. But he also noted that, to avoid the spoiler effect, presidential elections needed a reform such as <a href="http://thefulcrum.us/ranked-choice-voting" target="_self">ranked-choice voting</a>.</p><p>"To ensure that the ultimate victor has a mandate … Congress and the States should enact ranked-choice voting without delay," he wrote. "The stakes for 2020 are incredibly high, and the American people need clear outcomes." </p><p>But, to the potential benefit of those who want pro-voter reform, the choose-one voting method is not the only flaw in our current system that would be brought front and center should Amash run. </p><p>He would also raise awareness to the fact that:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>The presidential nomination process disproportionately focuses on candidates of the two major parties for the entire year, instilling the idea that voters only have two choices.</li><li>As a result, it is impossible for a third party or independent candidate to make the <a href="https://ivn.us/topic/debates" target="_blank">presidential debate stage</a> under the rules for inclusion. This is mainly because of the Commission on Presidential Debates' rule that to participate a candidate must poll above 15 percent in five polls of the commission's choosing. </li><li>Third party candidates have to spend all their money and resources just to get on the ballot in enough states to have a mathematical chance at an Electoral College majority, and even then they face possible legal challenges from the major parties.</li><li>The nation's campaign finance laws overwhelmingly support the major parties, allowing them longer periods of time to raise money and <a href="https://transition.fec.gov/pages/brochures/contriblimitschart.htm" target="_blank">unlimited gateways to funnel money between parties and campaigns</a>. This makes it impossible for outside candidates to raise anywhere near as much as major party candidates. </li><li>Thus, Amash's candidacy would further highlight the reality that the system makes it impossible for meaningful competition to exist in presidential elections.</li></ul><p>A high-profile independent or third party presidential campaign, whether people support it or not, would provide pro-voter reformers further evidence why the United States desperately needs to rethink its political system and transform its electoral process nationwide.</p><p>It could build on the tremendous momentum the reform community continues to see.</p><p><em>Visit </em><a href="https://ivn.us/" target="_blank"><em>IVN.us</em></a><em> for more coverage from Independent Voter News.</em></p>
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Survey: the pulse of independent voters
Apr 15 2020
Powers is the editor of Independent Voter News.
Independent Voting, the national organizing center for the 45 percent of Americans who self-identify as independents, has launched a unique national voter survey to capture the concerns of America's independents and independent-minded citizens in the midst of this current pandemic.
The survey focuses on a number of key threads: what it means to be independent in 2020, the coronavirus crisis and the crisis of partisanship, and how independents can maximize their power in the months and years ahead.
<p>"The response to the crisis by elected officials and other authorities has brought out a new wave of fear that partisanship in government is so deep that even a pandemic can't neutralize or overcome it," said Jacqueline Salit, the president of Independent Voting. "We created this new survey to get a measure of that concern and to lay a foundation for an exit strategy from that reality."</p><p>The survey is being conducted by a committee of leaders from the Independent Voting national network led by Tiani Coleman, president of New Hampshire Independent Voters, and Randy Miller, leader of Utah League of Independent Voters. Gwen Mandell, director of national outreach for Independent Voting, is providing technical and political support.</p><p>"We plan on doing everything in our power to make sure that as many independents as possible have the opportunity to address these important matters that currently face our nation. There are so many people who feel that they are not well served by the current political process and we want to make sure they have an opportunity to have their say and determine a road forward," said Miller.</p><p>Coleman and Miller also chaired the <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/n6s9m8zus9c5n7w/Nine%20Questions%20for%20the%2044%20Percent%20-%20FINAL%20Press%20Release%20and%20Results.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">groundbreaking survey that Independent Voting conducted in 2018</a> where 5,000 independents from all 50 states weighed in on questions about independent voters that have become a go-to part of the national conversation. The survey highlighted that the number one reason people gave for being independent was that "the two major parties are failing our country and putting the interests of their own party ahead of the interests of the American people." </p><p>"We're living through an unprecedented and uncertain time. But one thing that remains the same is the growing commitment of independent voters around the country to move beyond partisanship to make real and lasting changes to our political system(s) that will make it more democratic and more responsive to the needs of the American people," said Coleman.<br></p><p><em>Visit <a href="https://ivn.us/" target="_blank">IVN.us</a> for more coverage from Independent Voter News.</em></p><ul class="ee-ul"></ul>
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