|
A new Illinois law will create a task force to explore options
of ranked choice voting. Ranked choice voting allows voters to
select their candidates in order from their top choice to their
bottom. On Election Day, if a candidate receives more than 50
percent of the votes, that person wins the election outright. If
no candidate gets the majority of the vote, rankings would be
used to determine the winner.
Andrew Szilva, executive director of FairVote Illinois, said
ranked choice voting would change the way candidates campaign.
“The candidates realize that if they attack their opponent, they
might be alienating those voters who really like that candidate
as number one," Szilva told The Center Square. “Candidates focus
more on the issues rather than on personalities and attacking.”
Szilva said with ranked choice voting, few votes are wasted
because if a person’s top candidate doesn’t win, the vote goes
to their second choice.
According to FairVote Illinois, in 2020, 70,000 Democratic votes
were wasted in the presidential primary. Likewise, 30,000
Republican votes were wasted in Illinois’ 2016 presidential
primary.
Opponents of ranked choice voting say it is confusing for
voters, while others say voters are usually on opposite sides of
the aisle, so it would make it more difficult for candidates in
the middle to get elected.
During debate of the legislation, state Rep. Ryan Spain,
R-Peoria, said the concept of ranked choice voting raises some
red flags.
“When I read of examples where a voter may elevate a particular
candidate to their number one position, and that ends up having
a detrimental effect on their candidate of preference, that is
concerning to me,” Spain said.
The Ranked Choice and Voting Systems Task Force will begin
convening to analyze the state’s capacity for implementation of
the practice and will release a report in March 2024.
|
|
