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Letter: Ranked-choice voting worth a look

By Lou Marteeny, Vancouver
Published: February 23, 2020, 6:00am

Ranked-choice voting is not complicated. Even The Columbian explained it very well (“How does ranked-choice voting work?” The Columbian, Feb. 16). This new idea of ranking our choices on the ballot — the concept that our second, (or third, or fourth) might actually allow our voice to be heard — is part of a solution. It’s no wonder that something different might require us to think about it, just a little.

Many say they don’t vote because the final choices do not effectively represent their interests. Or they say they are forced to vote for the “lesser of two evils.” Most democratic societies enjoy a multiplicity of political parties, and they have higher voter participation, and they are more prone to getting the people’s work done through the discussion and compromise that is ultimately necessary. Our two-party system is already in a stage of collapse, as we see the perpetuation of an “us against them” mentality.

Our country’s Founding Fathers never intended a dominant two-party political system. They wanted a system that allowed people to be heard. Too often politicians put the party power struggle above the desires of the people who elect them. Ranked-choice voting suggests a solution, and it’s really not that difficult.

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