The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 14, 2023
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
Alaska Public Media – Why Alaska uses ranked choice voting and what we know about how it affects elections
Reason Magazine – Don’t Blame Ranked Choice Voting. Sarah Palin Was a Bad Candidate.
InForum – North Dakota Gov. Burgum vetoes bill to ban approval voting
Arizona Mirror – Hobbs vetoes bills to bar ranked-choice voting, criminalize immigrant aid groups
Represent.Us – GOVERNORS FROM BOTH PARTIES VETO RANKED CHOICE VOTING BANS
Heritage Foundation – Ranked-Choice Voting Should Be Ranked Dead Last as an Election Reform
Alaska Beacon – Five takeaway lessons from Alaska’s first ranked choice election
Try Out Ranked Choice Voting – Election: Practice Ranked-Choice Voting: Favorite Alaska Wild Animal
FairVote – What is Ranked Choice Voting (video)
Groups Taking Action:
Fair Vote, Voter Choice Arizona, League of Women Voters ND, ACLU ND, Save Democracy Arizona
Today’s Script: (Variations occur with audio due to editing for time)
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
In January, we reported on the nine states considering Ranked Choice Voting this year. We DIDN’T anticipate the wave of state bills BANNING the ranked choice voting system.
The anti-RCV bills follow a Republican loss in Alaska’s “top 4” congressional election last year which successfully employed RCV. When Democrat Mary Peltola emerged as the winner, former governor Sarah Palin blamed RCV for her loss.
The Heritage Foundation, already a vocal opponent of RCV and seeing multiple pro-RCV bills proposed in red states, doubled down. Calling it a “scheme,” “chaotic” and “confusing,” Heritage called for Republican legislators nationwide to oppose RCV.
Two of those anti-RCV bills were just vetoed by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. North Dakota’s HB 1273 would forbid North Dakota municipalities from choosing what form of election system to use for LOCAL elections. Burgum called the bill a “state overreach” on local control.
Arizona’s HB 2552 was similar, outlawing the use Ranked Choice Voting. Idaho and South Dakota have already passed bans this year, and Texas and Montana are considering them. North Dakota’s legislature may shortly consider a veto override, and Arizona Republicans are preparing a constitutional amendment to ban RCV to appear on the 2024 ballot.
Meanwhile, 79% of Alaska voters found Ranked Choice Voting easy, and 60% said the election was more competitive – which may explain the rush to ban it.
We have RCV resources at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
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