What is Rank Choice Voting and Why Do You Care?

Commentary

If you don’t live in Nevada, Alaska or Maine, or parts of California, you probably have not heard of or know much about Rank Choice Voting.

Both Democrats and Republicans have denounced Rank Choice Voting in Nevada. So how did it pass in the 2022 election when Governor Sisolak and Senator Cortez Masto both were against the petition? That’s a question many Nevadans would like answered. Is it all about money? Is that what put it over the top? Was it the approach made by proponents that solicited signatures that said something like, “If you’re an independent, don’t you want to have a choice to vote for anyone in the primary?” That quote is mine, but I know some form of that presentation was made to many whom I know signed the initiative. The person presenting to them did not mention that they would ALSO have to choose from as many as FIVE people running and you must rank each one to have your vote counted! Because, if you don’t vote for all five, there’s a chance your vote will be discarded. It’s called BALLOT EXHAUSTION. A concept the founding fathers had no idea would ever appear in a one person one vote idea.

Ballot Exhaustion

So, what is it? It’s when you get to the end election result and a voter either overvotes, undervotes, or only ranks candidates that have already been eliminated on their ballot per Nevada Policy. Confusing, right? It’s hard enough to know who the party you support is running as candidates. Now you need to know EVERY CANDIDATE for election whether they are Democrats, Republicans, Independents, or pick your party. Because there will be a chance they will be on the ballot of five that you will have to rank. And you HAVE to rank each one or you risk BALLOT EXHAUSTION!

It Changes Nevada’s Constitution

Why would we do that with something untried, confusing, and removing the one person, one vote standard? And it MUST be done by machine. At least that’s what I’m told. I will investigate that a little more since it seems it should be able to be done by hand also. Otherwise, how is it audited? Or is it?

In Nevada, to change the Constitution, this measure must be voted on twice. We voted in 2022 and by a mere 53% margin, it was passed. There is still an opportunity to vote this measure DOWN.  

Opposition

From Ballotpedia’s site, the following have voiced opposition to this measure:

“Officials

·        U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D) 

·        U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D) 

·        U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei (R) 

·        Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) 

·        State Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro (D) 

·        State Asm. Steve Yeager (D) 

Unions

·        Nevada State AFL-CIO 

Organizations

·        Americans for Tax Reform 

·        Battle Born Progress 

·        Let Nevadans Vote”

You can go to the site and see the arguments for and against. I believe many registered independents were misled about the virtues of this measure. I hope they will educate themselves as I am and determine what is best. “In 2017, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, the State’s highest tribunal, advised that RCV violates the state constitution.” Will it be challenged? Time will tell. Is that why this measure is designed to change the Nevada Constitution?

Why you should care
So, why do you care if you don’t live in Nevada? Because if the people who live in a state do not support a measure and outside forces can buy their way to the ballot box, this might be YOUR state next.

Janice Hermsen is an entrepreneur, publisher, writer, radio talk show host and go-to person who helps make writer’s dreams come true. Planning and marketing are a number one priority in Hermsen’s activities and she helps entrepreneurs and writers achieve their goals. Commentaries are her own and do not reflect the opinion of her company or any organization with whom she affiliates.