In New York, they want to introduce rating voting in elections: what does it mean

In New York, they want to introduce a rating vote that will allow voters to cast their votes for five candidates at once, instead of one. Writes about this AM New York Edition.

In this way, voters will be able to vote not only for the candidate, whom they should see as the winner, but also for the one who will replace him if they lose the race.

According to the source, this voting system is already being used in San Francisco, Minneapolis, Cambridge, Massachusetts, as well as in the State of Maine, and if it is approved in New York, with its 2,1 million voters, it will become the largest in terms of coverage.

Advantages and disadvantages of the system

Proponents like this system because it forces candidates to like more voters in the hope of being elected as the second or third group of the electorate.

It also reduces the likelihood that the race will win an additional candidate that most voters do not like.

At the same time, critics of the system call it "unconstitutional and confusing."

“For me, the key point is that it comes with some added complexity and costs for the voters,” said Jason McDaniel, a political scientist at San Francisco State University. He also said he would "not be surprised to see a slightly lower turnout if New York approves a rating vote."

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If on Tuesday, November 5, the plan is approved, then the system will apply only to primary and special elections (posts of mayor, city inspector, public defender, district president and city council). In this case, the new voting method will begin to operate in the 2021 year.

How it will work

“The candidate who receives more than 50% of the votes in the first round of voting will be declared the winner immediately,” the newspaper explains.

If no one gets more than 50%, then the candidates with the least number of votes will be expelled. And the votes of people who supported the expelled candidate will be passed to the candidates of the second round of elections, after which the votes will be counted again.

“The process continues until one of the candidates receives the majority of votes,” the source concluded.

Controversial issue

Rating voting will not be used in general elections, which may be a controversial issue for New York, because "the city is too democratic, and the candidate is often determined in the first round."

According to the FairVote human rights group, about a dozen U.S. cities have used voting in certain elections. In this month’s election, this voting method applies to at least five cities, including Las Cruces, New Mexico, and East Point, Michigan.

Bills related to the introduction of rating voting this year have been reviewed by nearly half of the states at their respective meetings. So, New Mexico lawmakers have passed legislation that officially paves the way for the system in local elections.

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However, such bills are basically "stalled or failed at the state level." So, last month, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsome vetoed a bill that would allow more cities and counties in California to use the system.

“Where this has been implemented, I am concerned that this has often led to confusion among voters and that the promise that rating voting leads to more democracy is not necessarily fulfilled,” Newsom said.

However, supporters were encouraged by how this system works in the first round of voting and federal races in Maine. There, the system was first approved by voters in 2016, also experiencing a legal problem and skepticism.

In New York, the campaign for the voting initiative was funded by the NYC, Inc. Rating Committee, which, according to government campaign funding reports, raised nearly $ 2 million. This includes over $ 1 million from Action Now, the $ 500 thousand from James and Katherine Murdoch and $ 100 thousand from Jonathan Soros, the famous liberal donor and son of billionaire George Soros.

Donations were used for mail programs, Facebook ads, and a social media campaign featuring American President Michael Douglas.

Opposition against the system arose in the days leading up to the Black, Latin American, and Asian city council groups, most of whose members believe that the rating system may give preference to white candidates over color ones.

Other complications that the new system may pose is an obstacle to the work of the media, which seek to announce the winners as soon as possible after the closure of the polls.

Supporters, on the other hand, say that the system can save New York from the hassle and cost of re-elections, which must be held if the leading candidate receives less than 40% of the vote.