RANKED CHOICE VOTING
make parties irrelevant
make parties irrelevant
Precisely why they will never let this happen
Pleasantly surprised to see this is the top comment.
I want third parties, but before that happens we need Ranked Choice Voting or Approval Voting. Otherwise, voting third party is essentially just taking votes from the major party most closely aligned with that third party.
I know RCV is the zeitgeist, but I really think Approval Voting is better and easier for the public. I'm glad you mentioned it
And yet when I say this people look at me like I'm crazy and tell me "Sir this is a Wendy's"
Seriously, though, Approval Voting is literally the simplest voting method (vote yes or no on each candidate) and yet it has zero traction.
Now ask those people what the third party's platform should be.
Not right, not left, but a secret third position
What if we just took all the leftist policies that Republican voters say they love in polls, but just replaced their names with new names that Fox News hasn't had a chance to program their viewers on? Instead of Universal Healthcare, we'll call it the American Bodily Integrity Defense Initiative or patriot care or some shit. No, no, it's not high speed rail, it's the Uncle Sam Express. No, no, it's not universal college, it's the "Beating China By Investing in Education Strategic Defense Initiative". Etc.
That might help black folks, so it won't work.
Maybe name it something racist? The Jim Crow Comprehensive Medical Reform Package.
Realistically there are 3 major groupings already:
You said "Democrats" twice.
Edit: man, I can't figure out who this pissed off- people who don't know progressives and corporate centrists are in the Democratic party, or Republicans.
If only the politicians in the dominant parties had any incentive to make elections fair for all parties. As it stands, the dominant parties have too many systems in place to give themselves advantages.
Rank choice voting seems like an obvious upgrade to our current voting system but is nowhere to be found other than a couple states.
Rank choice voting seems like an obvious upgrade to our current voting system but is nowhere to be found other than a couple states.
Because the two "private parties" have an insane amount of control over our political system.
And both of them count on getting a large amount of votes because people hate the other side.
If there's literally any viable third option it fucks their system up, which would take power away from the people leading those private organizations
For example, say a far right party shows up. That hurts republicans, but it means Dems would win in landslides. Once that happens, Dem voters are going to start demanding things get done. Which means we're suddenly going to have more Manchin's voting against the party. Leading to increased primary challenges and maybe even a viable progressive party.
Both parties have a bunch of reasons to keep the status quo
There’s like 12 imperfect voting systems that are still light years better than our current system. I wish we would just pick one and roll with it already, even if it’s a temporary fix.
Approval voting is mathematically sane, rewards candidates that are broadly acceptable rather than extremists, and is easy to explain to voters: "Vote for every candidate whom you would be okay with."
Candidates get more votes by building big tents than fanatical bases; voters maximize their power by honestly representing their views, and (unlike IRV) there's no case where thinking better of a candidate will lead you to vote in a way that causes that candidate to lose.
As long as the US sticks to it's long outdated and undemocratic FPTP voting model, you won't see a relevant third party in congress.
Does the GOP still count as a political party? What is their platform, anyways? I don't think "install a dictator and oppress minorities" counts as a platform. Point is, maybe we should look at getting a second political party first. One that can actually represent conservatives.
The Republican Party is representing conservatives better than it ever has. Installing a dictator and oppressing minorities is what conservatives genuinely want, and always have wanted.
Why stop at three parties. We need like seven.
We need Ranked Choice Voting at all levels including the presidency before we can have lots of different parties.
You would need to get rid of the "first past the pole" system anyway to allow for other parties to have an actual chance. As soon as that's done, more parties can easily be done.
But well, the people who would need to make that happen are the same people who currently benefit from the system as it is.
I'm not from America so I have no idea how this party system works, but the point here is I love parties 🎊
Let me educate you:
It doesn't!
Basically, we're only allowed 2 parties per year, and if you want any more, you have to buy a subscription, or else the party police will take away your party privileges. We're hoping that with enough complaints, they'll allow us another party before having to pay.
Yet talk about voting 3rd party and get attacked by straight ticket absolutist
Yep. Because US isn't multiparty system yet, and just voting 3rd party in president elections is not viable and not smart. It doesn't mean that people don't want US to be multiparty system
Pasting my comment from further down the thread
False. It sends the message that if that major party wants those votes they need to align with the 3rd parties policies. You keep narrowly losing elections because voters don't support what you do, you'll change if you ever want to win again. People are more concerned about winning every election, voting for the lesser of two evils, then wonder why our candidates keep getting shittier and shittier.
Primaries are for sending your message. The actual election needs to be handled as harm reduction considering the options are mashed potatoes personified vs literal fascists. Neither is desirable but one is far more undesirable than the other.
Would love a third and a fourth and a fifth party. Unfortunately, that doesn't work in a winner-take-all system based on the Electoral College.
A third party in the US would just replace one of the 2 existing parties so within one or two election cycles we'd be back to two anyway. And with the way the parties are acting currently it would probably be the Republican party to collapse and be replaced.
And with the direction the Republican base is going, whatever party replaces the GoP is probably gonna think Hitler's biggest problem was his accent.
Yes, this 58% Republican support isn't "Libertarians" finally smartening up and realizing the neocons want a police state, it's Trumpers who want the Trump Dynasty.
Because the tea party and libertarians are such awesome options. How about no parties and ranked choice voting.
I went third party in 2016 because I was disgusted and at the time I didn't think my state would ever be anything but red. Since then I've learned that I am very much in a swing state and Republicans have made it very clear they are going full fascist. There is at least one conservative think tank spreading the idea that we need a "Red Caesar" which sounds a lot like Mussolini to me. I don't know if it's possible to shift the Democratic party further left or not at this point, but I won't be voting third party again unless there is some massive change in the way we handle elections.
Regardless of what side your on as a Canadian I'd warn you that you need ranked voting for this kind of thing to work. We don't have that here.
We have one prominently right party and 2 left parties. This heavily skews the votes towards the right as left votes are being split between 2 parties. Often as a left voter you have to vote for the more popular party even if you don't like them in order to keep the right leaning party from winning.
Ranked voting would fix this issue but neither of the 2 popular parties on eatch side, who can fix this want to fix it. Both the popular left and right parties work to supress all other parties.
If your not getting ranked voting that 3rd party will only exist to split the vote for whatever side its on.
Mostly due to embarrassed republicans who want a new republican party
A third party would be an improvement. But, really, parties are the problem.
Just remember - with first past the post third party is structurally prevented from rising. Get busy with local election reform in your state: look for ranked choice or approval voting initiatives with some steam
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