Modern democracy has been struggling to accurately represent the will of the people for my entire life. I do not remember an American election that has not suffered from an incredibly split voter pool, candidates hellbent on their own way being the only way, concessions of human rights or economic crisis.
This is why, as a University of Connecticut student deeply invested in the future of our democracy, I want to highlight ranked choice voting (RCV) and how it could be used to revitalize our voting process. With the state legislative session having started Feb. 7, now is the time for us to be active citizens in our democracy and advocate for a more effective election system. If you’re interested, please use this link to send a message to your legislator urging them to support RCV.
To summarize, ranked choice voting is a process in which candidates are ranked on a ballot instead of a single vote being placed. Candidates with the least votes have those votes shifted to their voters’ second choice.
This is a practical solution to a fundamental problem we have in our current voting system. In races with multiple candidates, the winner doesn’t need the support of more than half the electorate to win office. RCV fixes this by requiring a true majority — over 50% of people — to have voted for the candidate somewhere on their ballot.
This allows greater diversity in the polls and in the ballots. Thus, candidates can take more individual perspectives as they no longer must fear “losing their party’s votes,” and voters can select fewer mainstream candidates as well as support larger parties. We even see better voting turnouts. In 2020, RCV led to a 9.6% increase in turnout in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, showing the greatest increases in precincts with higher poverty rates.
Proposed legislation to allow implementation of RCV in multiple of Connecticut’s elections is a step in the right direction. I urge my fellow students, members of the UConn community and anyone else who wishes to contribute to contact their state representatives and senators. People listen when we speak together in a unified, loud voice. Together, we can improve our democracy today.
Astra Finch is a fourth-semester student at the University of Connecticut studying computer science with minors in philosophy and math, and a volunteer with CT Voters First.