American politics will never be perfect, but they could be drastically improved. Our poor voting turnout, alarming incumbency re-election rate, and ineffectual system of voting could all be improved by replacing our system of plurality voting with one of range voting.
Plurality voting is when the voter plainly says yes to one candidate and no to every other candidate. Range voting is when the voter has to ability to give a rating to each candidate that reflects their opinion of how much they want them in office.
The act of voting is discouraging with plurality voting because if the person you vote for doesn't win, then your vote becomes worthless. With range voting however, your vote always contributes to the outcome no matter what anyone else does.
Plurality voting: 51 people sculpt a statue, 49 people watch
Range voting: 100 people sculpt a chunk of the statue
Plurality voting: Olympic judges select favorite athlete
Range voting: Each judge rates each athlete
By guaranteeing that each vote will have an impact, voters will be more likely show up and voice their opinions.
As Mark Twain said, "Politicians are like diapers. They both need to be changed frequently and for the same reason." Yet in America today the incumbency re-election rate is 96%, with 99% of these people in one of two political parties. The system of plurality voting has narrowed the majority of votes into two parties, which has in turn impeded political progress due to the erosion of certain distinctions between the two parties. Many of our current elected officials are life-long celebrities who follow orders from those with deep pockets while simultaneously ignoring their constituents.
Range voting would open up an even playing field for all practical and sensible parties who wish to guide our country. America does not have to constrict itself to two parties of empty promises. We could instead elect real representatives of the people, who wish to take bold new directions, to gain power and facilitate much-needed genuine change to come about.
In plurality voting, when a third party candidate is very similar to a main candidate, he will pull votes away from that main candidate and spoil his chances of winning. This is called the spoiler effect. This is a major flaw of plurality voting in which a minority of the voters ends up determining the outcome of an election (40 people sculpt and 60 watch). This has happened in 11% of presidential elections. Range voting eliminates the possibility for this phenomenon to occur.
If America were willing to progress to a system of range voting, we would have a more active voting culture, more honest politicians, and a more accurate and effective way to put good leaders into place. This would greatly improve politics and American society as a whole.
Examples:
Spoiler becomes null Example: 7 people vote for different people. 3 dem (candidate a) 2 rep (candidate b) 2 rep spoiler (candidate c)
Plurality Voting- Runner A wins with most votes
1) a. 1 b. 0 c. 0 42.9% of voters' voice is used to award winner
2) a. 1 b. 0 c. 0 57.1% of voters' voice is ignored
3) a. 1 b. 0 c. 0
4) a. 0 b. 1 c. 0
5) a. 0 b. 1 c. 0
6) a. 0 b. 0 c. 1
7) a. 0 b. 0 c. 1
Range Voting- Runner C wins with highest avg
1) a. 99 b. 00 c. 00 100% of voters' voice is used to award winner
2) a. 99 b. 00 c. 00 57.1% of voters (majority) is pleased
3) a. 99 b. 00 c. 00
4) a. 00 b. 99 c. 90
5) a. 00 b. 99 c. 80
6) a. 00 b. 70 c. 99
7) a. 00 b. 60 c. 99
avg. 42.4 46.9 52.6
Open door to third party Example: 8 people vote. 3 dem (a) 2 rep (b) 2 rep spoiler (c) 1 3rd party (d)
Plurality Voting- Runner A wins with most votes
1) a. 1 b. 0 c. 0 d. 0 37.5% of voters' voice is used to award winner
2) a. 1 b. 0 c. 0 d. 0 62.5% of voters' voice is ignored
3) a. 1 b. 0 c. 0 d. 0
4) a. 0 b. 1 c. 0 d. 0
5) a. 0 b. 1 c. 0 d. 0
6) a. 0 b. 0 c. 1 d. 0
7) a. 0 b. 0 c. 1 d. 0
8) a. 0 b. 0 c. 0 d. 1
Range Voting- Runner D wins with highest avg
1) a. 99 b. 00 c. 00 d. 40 100% of electorate voice is used to award winner
2) a. 99 b. 00 c. 00 d. 40 Most unified desire of electorate
3) a. 99 b. 00 c. 00 d. 40
4) a. 00 b. 99 c. 90 d. 40
5) a. 00 b. 99 c. 80 d. 40
6) a. 00 b. 70 c. 99 d. 40
7) a. 00 b. 60 c. 99 d. 40
8) a. 00 b. 00 c. 00 d. 99
avg. 37.1 41.0 46.0 47.4