Don't Scapegoat Ranked Choice Voting

Several leaders of the Democratic Party in Pierce County have been using Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for a scapegoat for their poor performance in local elections results. Instead of taking responsibility for the poor local campaigns, these folks want us to focus our attention on the good government reform of RCV.

In "Don’t let critics scapegoat ranked choice," Peter Callaghan writes:

"Ranked choice voting causes antibiotic-resistant strep infections.

Is it a coincidence that until Pierce County switched to ranked choice voting, the economy was doing great?

Ranked choice voting lost the Sonics and is responsible for the Mariners losing 100 games.

Don’t even bring up global warming.

Oh, and ranked choice voting is to blame for every problem associated with the 2008 election, especially but not exclusively in Pierce County.

Long lines at the polls? A glacially slow vote count that would make Nigeria proud? The candidate you voted for losing? Ranked choice voting.

Is it any wonder that many elected officials and party brass have set their sights on an experimental voting system that has had all of one chance of succeeding? Scapegoats are wonderful things. Everyone agrees that none of the problems are their fault; they put all of the blame on something else and then hold a ritual sacrifice."

These Democratic Party leaders do not want members of the party to focus on their loss of a State Senate seat, a State Representative seat and a County Council seat. They want to switch the subject. These people should be working on their message for voters, not the election system.