|
 Take Virginia’s governor race. Regardless of the outcome – and
all recent public polling shows a virtual tie – businessman Glenn Youngkin is a
giant success story for a little known but crucial electoral reform: instant
runoff voting.
Youngkin became the Republican nominee in May via a statewide nominating process
using instant runoff voting. More in a moment on this important electoral
reform, but in Virginia it forced candidates to build big, broad coalitions
across the GOP. Youngkin, an affable retail politician and accomplished business
executive did this aptly. Further, he was widely seen as the most electable
general election conservative candidate. Fast forward six months and here we are
– Virginia, a state President Joe Biden won by ten points, is likely to be
decided by a point or two. How? It’s not only the political environment, but
also how we elect our leaders.
The structural problems in our elections currently reward the
loudest voices to win low-turnout primary elections in states where that is the
only contest of consequence. The system tips the scales in their favor. In a
contested primary with multiple candidates, a small group of voters who do not
represent the majority of their party, let alone the electorate as a whole, can
determine the outcome.
This punishes conservatives who can win races while still representing our
values. Think Glenn Youngkin. It’s self-defeating. And it happens all the time! Due to geographic self-sorting
and partisan gerrymandering, 83% of congressional districts are considered
“safe” or uncompetitive. As a result, in partisan primaries, a small minority of
voters decide most congressional elections.
Enter instant runoff elections. We believe this is a targeted and incremental
reform to our current system that puts the voter first by giving them options.
As conservatives, we believe in the free market and the competition of ideas.
That’s instant runoff voting; it allows voters to rank candidates in order of
preference and if no candidate has a majority, the candidate with the fewest
votes is removed. If you selected that candidate as your first pick your votes
move to your next choice – this process repeats until someone passes 50%.
Ultimately, voters get more choices and a greater say in the political process.
Every voter who is sick and tired of the dysfunctional status quo in our
politics should give instant runoff voting a closer look. The system forces
candidates to compete in a battle royale around ideas and what we, as
candidates, are offering.
Look beyond Virginia to New York City’s primary election over the summer.
Critics say the NYC Democratic primary was a mess – nonsense. Blame New York
City’s inept election officials, not instant runoff voting. An overwhelming
majority of voters – 77% – want to use the system again, and 95% found the
ranked ballot simple to complete.
[to top of second column] |
Further, the far left got crushed by common-sense
reforms. Democrat Eric Adams stuck to the basic issues voters cared
about and was rewarded. In an interview after his primary win, he
said, “I knew what I was hearing on the ground, that everyday New
Yorkers, just like everyday Americans, they wanted not a government
of just an ideological approach, but a pragmatic approach.” The
likely mayor underscored this recently where he pushed back on the
left and said he would keep gifted and talented programs.
Because instant runoff voting requires a 50% majority to win, it
rewards candidates like Adams and Youngkin who appeal to the
greatest number of voters. Without instant runoff voting, New York
City could well have been stuck with another far-left Bill De Blasio-style
mayor for four more years and in Virginia a self-proclaimed Trump in
heels.
Extreme candidates in big, crowded races can’t get to 51%, not even
in an ultra-liberal enclave like New York City. That is encouraging
news for our states.
States and municipalities should be laboratories of democracy that
develop innovative solutions to the problems facing our nation.
States like Utah and Colorado – a red and trending blue state,
respectively – should be up next. Utah is a red
state, which, like our Colorado neighbors, has a proud tradition of
innovation. Call it western self-reliance, but our vote-by-mail
system prioritizes integrity and access viewed favorably by
Republicans and Democrats alike. Similarly, we’ve used ranked choice
voting in municipal elections with remarkable success. In November,
23 cities in Utah will use ranked choice voting.
 Despite a strong effort from this results-driven conservative,
Colorado has been trending toward Democrats, but we remain
innovators. Over the last decade, our election administration system
has moved to a mail ballot state with only a few hiccups, while also
adding open primaries — so people who do not want to join a
political party to support a candidate can fully participate in the
electoral process. The latest effort is instant runoff elections
which Colorado cities can opt into, but it should be a welcome
reform for all state and federal offices to incentivize leaders who
build consensus and get things done.
We’ve been on the ballot; we’ve asked people for their vote; we’ve
won elections. The process is humbling, but it should be a great
responsibility to represent and deliver results for your neighbors
from positions of power. Those gears need greasing. Instant runoff elections are not a silver bullet; there is no such
thing. But reforms that make it harder for loud and self-centered
minorities to control our political process deserve closer
consideration.
The defeat of the uncompromising, hard left in New York City and the
radical far-right in Virginia means instant runoff elections are in
for a bull run.
Curt Bramble is a Republican state senator from Utah; he’s
represented the state's 16th senate district since 2001. Colin
Larson is a Republican state Representative from Colorado; he’s
represented the state’s 22nd house district since 2019. |
