The proponents of ranked-choice voting (RCV) have been saying for years that the U.S. was on the verge of adopting the practice wholesale.
In an RCV system, voters are asked to rank their choices one through four. If no candidate gets 50% of the vote, the last-place finisher is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed based on the loser’s second-place, third-place choice, and so on until one candidate gets a majority.
The trend was believed to be unstoppable after Maine, Alaska, and several counties and cities adopted ranked choice voting in the last decade. But 2024 dashed those hopes. Only Washington, D.C., successfully adopted RCV, which was rejected in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada. Primary reforms to make the top four or top two finishers face off in a general election, regardless of party, also failed in South Dakota.
Most voters know that ranked-choice voting won’t fix what ails the electoral system. Moreover, RCV favors the elites who have more time to research four or five candidates instead of the two in the current primary system. The system delays the vote count, creates long lines at the precinct as people are supposed to fill…
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