SWAMPSCOTT — “You have to choose the lesser of two evils.” “That third-party candidate spoiled the election for a major-party candidate by stealing meaningful votes.”
These oft-spoken complaints about the current “pick-one” voting system in Massachusetts would all go away if the state adopted “ranked-choice voting,” according to activists who are trying to get a question on this November’s ballot asking voters to adopt a “ranked-choice voting” system at the state level.
Ranked-choice voting is a system of voting in which voters list their preferred candidate, second-favorite candidate, and even third-favorite candidate on their ballot sheet while voting, rather than just picking and voting for one candidate under Massachusetts’ current system.
Swampscotter Billy Jackson, an assistant professor of mathematics at North Shore Community College, helped found Voter Choice for Massachusetts in 2016, after nine years of researching and teaching alternative voting methods and developing his own opinions on the current voting system.
“I was tired of not being satisfied with the top Democrat and Republican candidates, but having to vote for the lesser of two evils,” Jackson said.
Voter Choice for Massachusetts is collecting signatures to submit to town clerks — and ultimately the Massachusetts Secretary of State by July 1 — to get the question asking Massachusetts residents to adopt ranked choice voting on this November’s ballot.
The organization needs 13,374 signatures on its petition in order to get the question on the ballot, but is shooting for 25,000, because not all signatures can be verified, Jackson said. Voter Choice for Massachusetts wants to get those 25,000 on its online petition by June 17 to allow enough time for processing.
If the question appears on the ballot and is ultimately approved by voters, in 2022 Massachusetts would begin to use ranked-choice voting in primary and general elections for all statewide offices, state legislative offices, and federal congressional offices.
Jackson said the movement to adopt ranked-choice voting in Massachusetts is nonpartisan. The voting system has been endorsed by the Massachusetts Libertarian, Green-Rainbow, and Democratic parties. By adopting ranked-choice voting, people would be able to vote for their preferred candidates without having to “settle” for a candidate that is perceived likely to win, Jackson said.
“A lot of people feel like they want to vote for a Libertarian or Green party candidate, but they would be throwing their vote away,” Jackson said.
In addition to getting rid of the “lesser-of-two-evils” voting problem, Jackson said people would no longer be able to complain about minor-party candidates “spoiling” the election by “stealing” votes under a ranked-choice voting system. For example, in the 2012 congressional election in which Democrat John Tierney defeated Republican Richard Tisei by less than 2 percent, Libertarian Daniel Fishman was accused of “spoiling” the election for Tisei by getting 4.5 percent of the vote, Jackson said. And, at the federal level, past presidential candidates, such as Ralph Nader, are still talked about as “spoilers,” Jackson said. A ranked-choice voting system in essence allows people to vote for more than one candidate, getting rid of the “spoiler” argument, he said.
Jackson said the organization is expecting to release an update on the number of signatures collected so far this Wednesday. He said the organization is “on track” toward reaching its self-imposed goal of 25,000 signatures.
“We canvas at public events, festivals, stuff like that. We walk around, asking people, ‘Have you ever been forced to vote for your lesser of two evils?’” Jackson said.
Jackson said awareness about ranked-choice voting has increased. When he first started pushing the petition, he estimates less than 1 percent of people had heard of ranked-choice voting. However, following Maine’s adoption of ranked-choice voting in 2016, awareness has increased.
“Once Maine made that happen, a bunch of us in Massachusetts said, ‘We can do this,’” Jackson said.
Jackson said the push for signatures has been complicated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is happening almost wholly online. Before the pandemic, signature gatherers would stand outside grocery stores asking people to sign the petition, he said.
To learn more about Voter Choice for Massachusetts, or to sign the petition, visit www.voterchoice2020.org.
