What happens when we switch to Ranked Choice Voting when we
are electing three candidates? Let’s head over to Platform 9¾
and board the Hogwarts Express to observe their election.
If Hogwarts elects three candidates to the Board of Wizards,
using the system we use in Arlington, where voters can use
three votes to fill three seats, a Hogwarts voter could choose
up to three candidates.
This
ballot would count votes for three candidates:
Ron Weasley
1
Hermione Granger
1
Harry Potter
1
Lord Voldemort
0
If Hogwards switches to a Ranked Choice
Voting scheme for electing three candidates, Hogwarts
voters would asked to rank their choices. While voters could
rank up to five candidates, the ranking would award only one
vote to one candidate.
If
Hermione Granger is not the
fourth place finisher after the first count, this ballot
will count for Hermione Granger and only for Hermione Granger:
Ron Weasley
0
Hermione Granger
1
Harry Potter
0
Lord Voldemort
0
If
Hermione Granger is the fourth place finisher after the
first count, Hermione Granger is defeated and this ballot is
transferred to the second choice, Ron Weasley:
Ron Weasley
1
Hermione Granger 0
Harry Potter
0
Lord Voldemort
0
Why
does this matter?
If Hogwarts has twice as many wizards as death eaters,
under our current voting system in a race to elect three
candidates:
the wizards
generally use all three votes to support three candidates
the
death eaters “bullet vote,” using only one of their votes
for Voldemort
you
could end up with voting results like this:
Ron Weasley
996
Hermione Granger
1012
Harry Potter
1006
Lord Voldemort
502
Lord Voldemort is defeated, and Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Ron
Weasley are elected.
the wizards
generally split their first choice vote among three
candidates
the
death eaters cast their first choice vote for Voldemort
you
could end up with voting results like this:
Ron Weasley
332
Hermione Granger 337
Harry Potter
335
Lord Voldemort
502
Ron Weasley is defeated, and Lord Voldemort, Hermione Granger, and
Harry Potter are elected.
Is this a good time to
pass Article 13? After all, Arlington voters
supported Question 2 - Ranked Choice Voters for state offices?
No. If anything, it's a bad time to adopt
Article 13.
When Arlington voted to support Question 2, they were told the
question would have no effect on local elections. Voters were
also told "Ranked-choice voting would be used only in races
where a single candidate is to be declared the winner and not
in races where more than one person is to be elected."
It's a Special Town Meeting. It's the middle of a pandemic.
The Special Town Meeting will take place on Zoom. Article 13,
as proposed, will make dramatic changes in the way we elect
town officials, and it will move forward with a majority vote
of Arlington's 252 member Representative Town Meeting.
If Town Meeting wants to move forward with Ranked
Choice Voting, they should adopt amendments to exclude
races where more than one person is to be elected, and
to require the approval of the voters in a referendum
before any change to our elections is approved.