Let’s Vote “Yes” on Question Two
Representative Andy X. Vargas
This November, we are not only voting for candidates, but also for questions that can fundamentally change our society. One of those questions – question 2 – seeks to implement a more effective and inclusive way of voting. Voting By Order Of Preference (RCV) carries bipartisan support. RCV supporters include Barack Obama, John McCain, and other Democratic and Republican leaders.
Under Order Of Preference voting (RCV), instead of simply selecting a candidate, the voter can rank the candidates in order of preference. Voters can also rank as many or as few candidates as they like. If a voter wants to vote for a candidate, they can still do so. This allows each voter to have more say in who is elected to office. That is why I brought the bill to pass RCV in the state legislature and why I will vote “yes” on question 2 in this November’s election. This system will allow more unprivileged candidates to be competitive, thus creating a more diverse government.
Furthermore, all too often, we see candidates elected at all levels of government with less than 50% of the vote. Don’t you think that it is a little strange that so many politicians are elected without a majority (50.1%) of support?
Under the current system, a candidate only needs more votes than the rest of her opponents to win an election. Therefore, a candidate is frequently elected to office without the support of the majority of her constituents. Most voters have encountered this at least once in their civic lives – a political contest in which a wide field of candidates splits the vote and one wins with 25% of the vote, for example.
It is this fear of splitting the vote that prevents potential candidates (especially those from minority groups) from running. But cities that adopted RCV have seen an increase in diverse candidates running. And more color candidates running means more winning color candidates.
Just five years ago, I became the first Latino councilor in my city of Haverhill, despite the fact that for years more than 20% of Haverhill residents and 35% of Haverhill students identified as Latino or Hispanic. It is not a coincidence. Although the Latino, African American, and Indian populations are some of the hardest-working and strong-willed, they face persistent institutional obstacles in all aspects of life, including elections. RCV will help.
The most common pushback you will hear from RCV skeptics is that it is confusing and will not be understood by voters. Research shows otherwise. Studies show that voters have had very little difficulty adopting RCV. A 2009 study in Minneapolis found that 95% of voters thought RCV was easy to understand. You may also hear that RCV could harm communities of color, but it’s the exact opposite. In that same study, 97% of voters of color found RCV easy to understand.
It is time to modernize our democracy and adopt an Order Of Preference voting (RCV) system – let’s vote “Yes” on question 2.
