||| FROM PAUL DOSSETT |||
Rank choice voting changes the traditional democratic principle that the candidate with the most votes wins. Under RCV, the ballot lets the voter choose multiple names in order of preference. If no candidate wins a majority, the bottom contender is eliminated and that person’s votes are reassigned to their second choices (or third or fourth, as the process goes on).
Pierce County had approved RCV in 2006. It was voted out in 2009 by 70% of the voters after being used two years. Why? Voters were confused and felt cheated.
RCV is a scheme to disconnect elections from issues and allow candidates with marginal support from voters to win. It obscures true debates and issue-driven dialogues among candidates and eliminates genuine choices between two top-tier candidates.
RCV disenfranchises voters, because ballots that do not include the two top finalists are cast aside to manufacture a faux majority for the winner.
Voters do not need a computer to manipulate their votes based on a computer algorithm.
RCV is a confusing system and is not straight forward as compared to our current system which has served our voters well over time.
Please vote NO for Rank Choice Voting.
**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
I don’t know who Paul Dosset is. Does he live here? And I REALLY cannot grasp how any rational person can say that Ranked Choice Voting disenfranchises voters when it is exactly the opposite of the the truth. I don’t know a thing about Pierce County, nor do I know the veracity of Mr. Dosset’s claims about that county but I am absolutely positive that San Juan County voters are quite capable of understanding and appreciating a simple system of voting that allows every citizen to vote for their first, second, third choice of candidate. Given the extreme resistance to this simple solution by BOTH the major political parties, I am not surprised that a stranger among us should object to our voicing our ACTUAL OPINIONS. I’m sure whoever “Paul Dosset” is that he has nothing to do with the political duopoly that has brought this country to the verge of civil war, right? He’s just a concerned citizen that I’ve never heard from before stating that he doesn’t want his actual choice in an election to matter, right?
A simple google search sill tell you that Paul lives on San Juan Island and was a member of last year’s Charter Review Commission. He is one of a handful of commissioners who voted against recommending that the County Charter be amended to include a ranked choice voting option. He also served in public office as San Juan County Assessor from 1987-2007.
Ken, he was our county assessor for years and lives in Friday Harbor.
Apparently Mr. Dosset is under the impression that we still have a functioning democracy.
That horse left the barn in the 2000 selection..
Ken:
After a few minutes of research I was able to find a Mr. Paul Dossett listed in the San Juan Islands telephone directory (with a Friday Harbor address), a Mr. Paul Dossett as a member of the recent Charter Review Commission, and a Mr. Paul Dossett who was San Juan County Assessor for more than 28 years.
Another few minutes using Google confirms some of Mr. Dossett’s claims about Pierce County and RCV although this article suggests that that County’s rejection of RCV may be more complicated than Mr. Dossett describes: https://www.sightline.org/2017/09/19/what-really-happened-with-instant-runoff-voting-in-pierce-county-washington/.
Ranked Choice Voting is one of a number of “alternative” voting schemes. Kenneth Arrow proved, essentially, that there is no perfect voting system (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrow%27s_impossibility_theorem) so all voting systems are flawed in some ways. While it is true that our current voting system (pick one) is especially bad, there may be other systems that are both practically and philosophically superior to RCV. One such example is Approval Voting – ballots look just like they do now and you fill in the boxes for all of the candidates for whom you approve. The candidate with the most votes wins – no obscure computer algorithms required.
Which voting system is best for San Juan County is worthy of debate. Here is an article describing the differences between Approval Voting and RCV: https://electionscience.org/library/approval-voting-versus-irv/.
Knowing neither who Paul Dosset is nor Pierce County’s experience with RCV does not enhance confidence in this rebuttal of Mr.Dosset’s letter to the editor. And as in many small communities, argument quickly becomes ad hominem.
Getting to Mr. Woods’ expressed concern on the merits, I agree that his concern may be entirely valid. RCV is ostensibly friendlier to third parties, but it can also result in a majority accumulation of votes for someone nobody wants. See the Pierce County experience. I suggest pausing before leaping at a solution in the fashion proposed by proponents of this proposition. It may be that the version of RCV as eventually authorized by the Legislature would be responsive to Mr. Wood’s specific concerns. Or it may make things worse.
If adopted, the charter proposition would automatically bind our county to whatever version (several exist) of RCV the Legislature dictates. Should we not have the opportunity to vet what the Legislature actually authorizes before we decide? The charter proponents of RCV say “No.” I want to see exactly what will come down the pike before signing up.. Wouldn’t you?
Ranked choice voting is the method used in Alaska and this year it kept two extremists from winning. Instead, a low-key, work across the aisle woman was selected as the replacement for deceased Congressman Don Young. The people who were the most vocal in opposing it? The republicans who ran campaigns financed by outside money…and their more extremist adherents. Apparently moderate voters were in favor of any candidate over costume-wearing, twerking Sarah Palin.
It’s dangerous to favor an election process because on one occasion it caused a result you preferred. While I too was pleased with the result, part of the cause was a fluke (which it was) which may or may not recur in similar situations. There are more variables with ranked choice voting, and not all surprises will be pleasant. Be careful what you wish for.
Bill Appel – Perhaps you can describe EXACTLY what you are afraid of with Ranked Choice Voting rather than making vague allusions? Can you point out even ONE example of how RCV wouldn’t produce as good or better representation of the electorate’s actual choices than the current ‘whoever gets the most votes in the first round wins’ system? Because I have seen many examples of problems with the current system. Or are you simply in favor of a voting system where the dominant minority can retain political power indefinitely? I am genuinely interested in hearing your thoughts on this topic.