Category Archives: alternative voting systems

Barney Frank, Liz Cheney, Rob Portman & Democracy

February 5, 2022, 6:01 amalternative voting systems, election subversion risk, UncategorizedNed Foley

Barney Frank, the long-time member of Congress from Massachusetts whose memoirs every student of politics should read (or better yet listen to, since Frank narrates the audiobook), has written an ingenious op-ed for The Washington Post on Liz Cheney’s… Continue reading

How Should Democrats Respond to the GOP’s Censure of Cheney & Kinzinger?

February 4, 2022, 1:29 pmalternative voting systems, election subversion risk, political parties, UncategorizedNed Foley

I take the censure as further evidence that the Democratic Party, if it wants to protect small-d democracy, must try to save the Republican Party from itself. To have a functioning democracy, the United States needs a responsible right-of-center party,… Continue reading

The Institutional Context of the New GOP

February 4, 2022, 9:11 amalternative voting systems, election subversion riskNed Foley

Rick Pildes has highlighted the significance of the Axios story on the transformed Republican Party. I want to add one more point (which is a version of the question I plan to ask a lot this year): would it be… Continue reading

FairVote Report on the Use of Ranked Choice Voting in NYC

January 20, 2022, 10:04 amalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

FairVote: This report examines the first citywide ranked choice voting (RCV) elections in New York City, conducted in June 2021. FairVote analyzed campaign activity, voter turnout, demographic trends, and cast vote records.We find that RCV helped elect the… Continue reading

Alaska Supreme Court upholds electoral reform

January 19, 2022, 5:35 pmalternative voting systemsNed Foley

This order, with an opinion to follow, makes clear that Alaska will be using its new electoral system (nonpartisan primary, with top four candidates on the general election ballot and the winner based on ranked-choice ballots using Instant Runoff… Continue reading

Oral argument in Alaska RCV case

January 18, 2022, 4:18 pmalternative voting systems, primariesNed Foley

As Rick blogged earlier today, the Alaska Supreme Court heard oral argument in an important case challenging the constitutionality of the state’s new electoral system, which has a nonpartisan primary that sends the top four candidates to the general… Continue reading

“Democracy is on the brink of disaster. For voters, it’s politics as usual.”

January 9, 2022, 6:14 amalternative voting systems, election subversion risk, political polarizationNed Foley

Rick P, in the previous blog post, was right to highlight Karen Tumulty’s column. The Washington Post today also has a piece presenting a rather depressing counterargument, by Colgate political scientist Sam Rosenfeld. The conclusion (although it’s… Continue reading

The Big Lie & the Primary Problem

January 5, 2022, 6:51 pmalternative voting systems, election subversion risk, primariesNed Foley

This new piece in The Washington Post, as well as several others including one in the N.Y. Times based on Jeremy Peters’ forthcoming book, confirms for me the connection between (1) the entrenchment of Trump’s false claim about the… Continue reading

“Can Ranked Choice Voting Work for Conservatives?”

January 5, 2022, 2:08 pmalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

Adam Kissel: Conservatives give me the stink eye when I tell them I favor ranked-choice voting, which many jurisdictions are considering for 2022. But when combined with election integrity and voter education, this alternative voting process has advantages… Continue reading

Could bipartisan democracy-protection have worked? Could it still?

December 23, 2021, 5:35 amalternative voting systems, election subversion risk, political parties, primariesNed Foley

There has been skepticism voiced by some about my suggestion that, after January 6, Democrats in Congress should have pursued a strategy of finding at least ten GOP Senators to support the kind of structural electoral reform, like a majority-winner … Continue reading

Trump’s primary power

December 22, 2021, 5:56 amalternative voting systems, election subversion risk, primariesNed Foley

Henry Olsen for the Washington Post updates his top 5 list of the GOP primaries that will show Trump’s influence in the midterms. His new rankings list the Perdue-Kemp gubernatorial primary in Georgia first. When I contemplate this race, as… Continue reading

“As the GOP sheds its moderates, a whirlwind approaches”

December 21, 2021, 9:07 amalternative voting systems, election subversion risk, political parties, political polarizationNed Foley

This Washington Post op-ed, by Democratic consultant Doug Sosnik, is a counterpoint to the Virginia GOP self-description of Younkin’s victory there, as posted by Rick Pildes. While ranked-choice voting enabled Virginia Republicans to choose a gubernatorial nominee who… Continue reading

“Big Wins for Ranked Choice Voting in 2021 Elections”

November 4, 2021, 7:16 amalternative voting systemsRick Hasen

FairVote release.

The Problem with Plurality-Winner Elections

November 3, 2021, 5:21 pmalternative voting systems, political parties, political polarization, primariesranked choice votingNed Foley

Election Law at Ohio State is pleased to present a one-hour webinar on the issue of electoral system design: The Problem with Plurality-Winner Elections – And Can Requiring Majority Winners Help Save Democracy? It’s scheduled for Friday, November 19, at… Continue reading