Category Archives: alternative voting systems

“Don’t Blame RCV for Alameda County Election Snafu”

January 3, 2023, 8:33 amalternative voting systems, election administrationRick Hasen

Rob Richie: First, let’s understand what went wrong. According to both Oakland’s City charter and RCV election norms, if a voter skips a first-choice column or writes in an ineligible candidate, that voter’s ballot should be advanced immediately to… Continue reading

Must-Read: “After election debacle in Oakland, what’s next for ranked choice voting?”

December 31, 2022, 9:32 amalternative voting systems, election administrationRick Hasen

Mercury News: The revelation this week of an unprecedented error in Alameda County’s counting of election results has upended an Oakland school board race. But more lasting damage could be done to the reputation of ranked choice voting, a… Continue reading

“Key races in Alaska expected to be finalized under ranked-choice system”

November 23, 2022, 7:41 amalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

WaPo reports.

“Democrats lost their House majority due to Independent Redistricting Commissions; Are IRCs ineffective because they are trumped by Winner Take All elections? Have they outlived their usefulness?”

November 22, 2022, 6:28 pmalternative voting systems, redistrictingRick Hasen

Steven Hill ponders.

Blake Hounshell NYT Newsletter on the Revival of a Push for Fusion Voting

November 21, 2022, 4:17 pmalternative voting systems, ballot accessRick Hasen

NYT: One of the great paradoxes of America’s polarized political system is that people seem to hate it, yet few can conceive of a way out. Every once in a while, a third-party candidate catches fire — as the quirky… Continue reading

“Ranked-Choice Voting: Legal Challenges and Considerations for Congress”

October 15, 2022, 11:00 amalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

New report from the Congressional Research Service.

Rank Choice Voting: A Scaleable Reform?

October 1, 2022, 2:19 pmalternative voting systems, votingrank choice votingTabatha Abu El-Haj

As more jurisdictions are considering introducing rank choice voting (the issue will be on the ballot in Nevada this fall), Politico offers this long-form essay on Alaska’s experience. Can Alaska “point the way to a more moderate, more nuanced way… Continue reading

“Alaska election results show why Condorcet is obsolete”

September 21, 2022, 7:37 amalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

Steven Hill writes.

“Time To Retire ‘First-Past-the-Post’ Elections”

September 20, 2022, 1:53 pmalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

Jerry Goldfeder in the NY Law Journal.

“Scholars Ask Congress to Scrap Winner-Take-All Political System”

September 20, 2022, 7:53 amalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

NYT: If there’s one thing we know about America’s creaking democracy, it’s this: Whenever it seems fundamentally broken, people get together to try to fix it.That’s happening now. We’re living through one of the United States’ periodic bursts of… Continue reading

“After Peltola win in Alaska, a debate erupts over ranked-choice voting”

September 2, 2022, 7:26 amalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

WaPo reports.

“After Sarah Palin’s election loss, Sen. Tom Cotton calls ranked choice voting ‘a scam'”

September 1, 2022, 7:28 amalternative voting systems, political partiesRick Hasen

NBC News: After Democrat Mary Peltola defeated Sarah Palin in Alaska’s special election Wednesday, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., discredited the voting system used by Alaska voters that they chose to implement in their state.Cotton tweeted that Alaska’s new ranked… Continue reading

New Fairvote Report: Best Practices for Releasing Ranked Choice Voting Election Results

August 11, 2022, 11:02 amalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

Find it here. And more info specifically on Alaska.

Pildes on Ranked Choice Voting

July 15, 2022, 7:08 amalternative voting systems, political polarizationDan Tokaji

Fredreka Schouten of CNN interviews Rick Pildes. Here’s a highlight: RCV … encourages the election of candidates with the broadest electoral appeal. It also makes it likely that candidates who win will have the support of a majority of… Continue reading