OPINION: The Forward Party: Ranked choice voting
Mark Harris, a first-year student at Ohio University and an opinion writer at The New Political, writes from his position as a district captain for the Forward Party in Ohio House District 94 on the Ranked choice voting system.
Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.
The Forward Party is a major proponent of Ranked choice voting (RCV), but we are not alone in this position. Another major proponent organization is Rank the Vote. Therefore, it is only fitting that these organizations would be inclined to work together to inform people of what RCV is and how they can help make it a reality.
As I find myself in the position of district captain for Forward here in Ohio House District 94, I felt it fitting to invite some of the members of Rank the Vote Ohio to Athens to speak on RCV and share their efforts to make it a reality here in Ohio.
In the words of Kyle Herman, executive director of Rank the Vote Ohio, "Ranked choice Voting is a simple upgrade to the way we vote that's already used in Maine and Alaska. Instead of picking just one candidate, you have the freedom to rank your preferences. If no one wins a majority of first choices, the last place candidate is eliminated, and those votes transfer to your next choice, just like an instant runoff.”
Herman explains the value of RCV further saying, “(In an RCV system) more parties and candidates can run, and you have more choice, more voice, and more confidence that your vote will actually matter to help elect someone who represents a true majority."
Ranked choice voting is a non-partisan issue, as implementing a RCV system would not give any party an advantage over the others. However, it would make it much easier for third parties to get representatives from their parties elected.
As someone working as a grassroots organizer for a third party, I can attest to the difficulties in organizing groups of people and I know having a candidate go up against the two major parties’ candidates in a race under our current system will be an even bigger hurdle. The biggest issue is the spoiler effect. Under the current system, if a third-party candidate runs, they usually end up causing whichever political candidate least aligned with their views to win because they split the electorate of those with the most aligned views between themselves and the other candidate with similar views. This often causes the candidate least aligned with the majority to win. Under a RCV system, this would be less of a concern. Additionally, the chances of a third and even fourth major political party have a greater possibility. This is why RCV is not generally popular among the two major parties.
If you are interested in promoting RCV there are a few things you can do. One is to get involved with Rank The Vote Ohio and/or the Forward Party online. Another is to get informed about RCV and share that information with loved ones.
If you want to get involved in person you can start by attending the joint organization meeting we are hosting in Red Brick Tavern, 14 N. Court St., on Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. Representatives from both the Forward Party and Rank the Vote Ohio will be in attendance with information on ways you can get involved locally.
RCV is a much more representative system that allows people to vote for their favorite candidate without having to worry about the spoiler effect. It makes it easier for more political parties to represent people’s political views outside of the two major parties. I encourage anyone who wants to learn more about RCV to visit www.rankthevoteohio.org and if you are interested in the Forward party of Ohio please visit www.forwardparty.com/ohio. Additionally, if you want to get involved please consider attending the event on Feb. 20 or one of the other events later this year.
