Consider instant runoff vote

Regarding the Oct. 2, page B1 story entitled: “Primary battle lines being drawn.” About 100 people attended the Bellevue hearing on the blanket primary. Unlike the other hearings, many people from minor parties were present. Almost everyone was opposed to any record being kept of a voter’s party and in favor of the same rules applying to all parties.

One speaker proposed eliminating the primary entirely by using instant runoff voting. Many other speakers endorsed this proposal. I read more about it at www.fairvote.org and agree that it is the best choice available. Voters rank the candidates (first choice, second choice and so on.) and the counting system selects the candidate most acceptable to the majority of the voters.

The advantages are a shorter and less expensive election season, less negative campaigning, minor party candidates cannot act as spoilers, no discrimination against minor party candidates, fewer voters feeling that they lost and more people voting.

Snohomish

Talk to us

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Friday, June 2

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

A map of the I-5/SR 529 Interchange project on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Set your muscle memory for work zone speed cameras

Starting next summer, not slowing down in highway work zones can result in a $500 fine.

Schwab: To discern fascism, ask the generation that fought it

A World War II-era pamphlet for U.S. troops described what they were fighting against; and why.

Saunders: ‘Heckler’s veto’ a poor conclusion to diploma quest

Shouting down a commencement speaker you don’t agree with is counter to intellectual development.

Comment: It’s up to Democrats to get rid of debt limit for good

The next time Democrats have control, they need to make sure the economy isn’t again held hostage.

Comment: Ukraine takes calculated gamble with attacks in Russia

Drone and other attacks offer strategic benefits but could backfire if Russian civilian deaths mount.

Comment: The filibuster’s days are numbered; unfortunately

Until it became the default block for all legislation, the Senate filibuster actually worked well.

File - A teenager holds her phone as she sits for a portrait near her home in Illinois, on Friday, March 24, 2023. The U.S. Surgeon General is warning there is not enough evidence to show that social media is safe for young people — and is calling on tech companies, parents and caregivers to take "immediate action to protect kids now." (AP Photo Erin Hooley, File)
Editorial: Warning label on social media not enough for kids

The U.S. surgeon general has outlined tasks for parents, officials and social media companies.

Anabelle Parsons, then 6, looks up to the sky with binoculars to watch the Vaux's swifts fly in during Swift's Night Out, Sept. 8, 2018 in Monroe. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Birders struggle with legacy, name of Audubon

Like other chapters, Pilchuck Audubon is weighing how to address the slaveholder’s legacy.

Most Read