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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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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The post Conservative Legislatures Rush to Ban Ranked Choice Voting, Despite Its Popularity with Voters appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for November 30, 2022

Listen!

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

BallotPedia – Runoff elections
Washington Post – Runoff elections a relic of the Democratic South
National Conference of State Legislatures – Primary Runoff Elections

Democracy Docket – The Racist Roots of Runoffs in the South

Groups Taking Action:

 Open Primaries, Fair Vote, Fair Fight, Power Coalition for Equity & Justice

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.

Yesterday, we reported on the two states which use runoffs in their elections, including Georgia, which has a U.S Senate runoff on December 6th, and Louisiana, for local elections & three ballot measures on December 10th. But did you know that runoffs are also used to determine party nominees in some states?

Ballotpedia reports that 10 states use top-two runoffs for primaries. Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas use runoff elections when no candidate has a clear 50% +1 vote majority to determine the party nominee going into the general election. In North Carolina, a candidate must receive 30% + 1 vote to win a primary, or face a runoff. In South Dakota, runoffs are used for partisan primaries for Congressional or gubernatorial seats when no candidate receives 35%, and in Vermont, runoffs are only used when a tie occurs.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, primary runoff systems developed in the south to encourage candidates to broaden their appeal so extreme candidates would be less likely to get elected. In Arkansas, runoffs were used to prevent members of the Ku Klux Klan from getting elected with small pluralities in lower turnout primaries.

Another form of runoff, called an “instant runoff” or “ranked choice voting,” is being implemented in some cities, counties & states around the country. More on that tomorrow.

We have links to articles and resources AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

The post Runoff Elections Used in 10 States to Determine Party Nominees appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

Listen! https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/americandemocracyminute/episodes/2022-06-13T08_19_05-07_00

Todays Links:
Articles
South Carolina:   “What you need to know before primary day in South Carolina”
North Dakota:  “North Dakota governor’s own funds target fellow Republicans,”  “Your guide to North Dakota’s June 14 primary election”
Maine:   “2022 Maine Primary Preview: Here’s What You Need to Know”
Nevada:  “Trumpworld heads to Nevada to boost MAGA loyalist in Senate primary’s final days,”   “2022 Primary Election Voter Guide”
How to Vote Information
South Carolina:   https://www.scvotes.gov/
North Dakota:     https://www.vote.org/state/north-dakota/
Maine:  https://www.vote.org/state/maine/
Nevada:   https://www.vote411.org/nevada

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Tuesday, June 14th there are four states holding state primaries, including South Carolina, Nevada, North Dakota and Maine. South Carolina, North Dakota and Nevada all have U.S. Senate seats at stake, and all states have U.S. House and state races.

South Carolina’s Republican primary for the 1st US House District features, Nancy Mace, backed by former South Carolina governor and U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, vs. the Trump-endorsed Katie Arrington.

Maine’s primary features a preview of incumbent Democratic Governor Janet Mills’ November race against the man she unseated in 2018, former Governor Paul LePage. LePage was noted for his pugnacious and often offensive behavior while in office.

In ruby-red North Dakota, the AP reports that Governor Doug Burgum has been using some of his own substantial fortune to bankroll challengers to less loyal incumbents in state government, donating $935,000 to the Dakota Leadership PAC.

Finally to Nevada, where former attorney general & 2020 election denier Adam Laxalt is vying for a U.S. Senate seat. Trump administration loyalists have been stumping in Nevada, including Donald Trump Jr.

The best way to keep anti-democracy candidates from taking over your local, state and federal offices is to turn out and vote in YOUR state primary. Links to articles and voting information are available at AmericanDemocracy Minute.org

Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we have, it’s something we DO.”
For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

The post American Democracy Minute for June 14, 2022: June 14th Primaries for SC, ND, NV & ME appeared first on American Democracy Minute.