General election season highlights the shortcomings of electoral systems
Candidates in 35 U.S. Senate races, 36 gubernatorial races, 435 U.S. House races, thousands of state legislative elections and countless local elections have been pounding the pavement and plastering the airwaves in the final weeks of the 2022 midterm elections. Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the highest inflation rate in decades and the intense unpopularity of President Joe Biden, candidates are faced with a host of hot button issues to talk about. Voters are familiar with nasty ads, but the tension and vitriol that defines politics has reached new, concerning levels. One step forward could come from rethinking America’s partisan primaries and first-past-the-post (FPTP) general election systems by moving toward blanket primaries and ranked-choice voting.
While elections procedures are different in every state, the most common process involves a partisan, FPTP primary, in which the top vote-getter secures a party nomination and advances to a FPTP general election. Some states use runoffs if no candidate wins 50 percent in the primary, the top two vote-getters advance to a second ballot to determine who moves on to the general election. The dichotomous nature of American politics often sees candidates nominated in low-turnout primaries, where Republicans run to the right and Democrats run to the left in order to appeal to their respective party bases. Following their primary wins, candidates often undertake whiplash-inducing pivots in order to appeal to the moderate or independent voters who often determine the outcomes of close elections.
However, some states have been exploring new election styles to address voter concerns with FPTP systems. Two states—Alaska and Maine—have recently adopted an instant-runoff system using ranked-choice voting, which is designed to ensure winning candidates have broad public support. Maine has retained partisan primaries for nominating candidates, while Alaska employs a nonpartisan primary to determine the four candidates who appear on the ballot. On the November ballot, voters can rank the candidates in order of preference. The candidate with the lowest number of votes is then eliminated, and their voters’ second preferences are redistributed to the remaining candidates. This process continues until a candidate receives a majority of the vote.
Alaska’s newly implemented system garnered national interest during the August special election to replace the late-Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), who held the state’s lone House seat for 49 years. Democrat Mary Peltola defeated two famous Republicans—Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III—to become the first Alaska Democrat elected to the U.S. House in 50 years. While Palin and Begich fought over core Republican voters, Peltola was able to capitalize on independent and Republican dislike for Palin. When the votes were tallied, Peltola was trailed by Palin and Begich. After Begich’s elimination, his voter’s second preferences were redistributed. Only half of Begich’s voters gave their second preference to Palin, with 28 percent ranking Peltola second, and the remainder refusing to rank either. This breakdown proved enough for Peltola to clench the race. By allowing for multiple candidates, regardless of party affiliation, to advance to a ranked-choice general election, Alaskans now cast nuanced ballots that better reflect each individual voter’s political views.
If all elections operated like those in Maine and Alaska, politicians would need to recognize that being the first choice for a dedicated minority won’t be enough to pull them across the finish line. Candidates will have to cater to a broad base of citizens in order to solidify their prospects. In an era of increasing partisanship, many voters are increasingly frustrated by an electoral system that makes them choose between a lesser of two evils. Voters deserve a stronger voice, and Alaska’s combination of a blanket primary and instant-runoff general election may be just the solution.
Image credit: jannoon028
