ProfX wrote: ↑Fri Sep 02, 2022 2:31 pm
IMHO, ranked choice voting is a really good system we should use more in the U.S., especially in elections where there are more than 2 candidates. If you care about third parties, it would help them get more traction. (There's really nothing that Constitutionally mandates the plurality/"first past the post" voting system we use; it's more tradition than anything else.)
Although I'm not opposed to rank choice voting I'd like to see a couple more general elections before jumping into it full force. I've used rank choice voting in the AF when our hospital group commander and his four squadron commanders had to figure out
the order of which equipment list they wanted the Major Command to fund. Instead of them spending a couple of hours in a meeting trying to compromise which must be bought, I'd send them the list and ask them to rank them on a scale of number 1 (most important) to the last one least important). I'd get their lists back with their rankings and I'd add their input to a spreadsheet, total each item, and the item with the lowest number (most 1s, 2s,3s, etc.) was the number one priority and I'd continue down that way with the list. This form of rank choice voting as efficient and didn't leave any of the commanders with hurt feelings in that their squadron wasn't getting the equipment they needed. Fortunately for me, my last year Major Command funded our entire equipment list and we were able to make everyone happy, especially everyone in my shop because we got our entire office new desks, chairs, cabinets, etc.. to replace ones 30-plus year old.
But yes, Palin and some of her supporters are complaining the ranked choice vote Alaska is using was somehow mischievous or "robbed" her of what she should have rightfully won. No surprise: Sarah Palin is wrong.
From the primary three candidates emerged for the general election and two of them were republicans. Palin got more votes in the general election than the other republican so he was eliminated and the second votes from him were added to Palin and
Peltola's numbers. After Palin lost she pointed the finger at the other republican for causing her to lose and he pointed the finger at her saying she told her supporters not to filling in a second choice.
Bottom line is Palin knew what the rules of the election were and if she can't accept the outcome then that reflects on her as a person. There were a lot of Alaskans who voted for the other republicans and whose second choice wasn't Palin.
When you vote left, you vote right.