County in Oregon May Have Found Way to ‘Save’ Election Voting

Benton County, no-not ours, may have found a way to increase voting, take away apathy, and boost sagging participation.  Benton County Oregon, that is.

According to sightline.org, Benton County is going to try it's hand at what's called Rank-Choiced Voting. The county is home to Corvallis, and Oregon State University. Voters this fall will decide if they want to change their voting system to one that allows them to rank, in order of preference, the candidates for each office on their ballot.

For example, if we did it here, in the 4th Congressional race between Didier and Newhouse, instead of just choosing one candidate, voters would put one or the other or the Democratic candidate 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Of all the candidates, they would mark down their first, second and third preferences.

Officials say it allows more input from voters, and would also allow the public and campaigns to see exactly where their candidates fall in preference from the public. Voters would actually rank the top 3  candidates on the ballot, instead of just choosing one.

According to sightline, winners would have more overall support. Too often, they say, winning candidates win without a MAJORITY of votes, only a plurality...more votes than anyone else. It would also force candidates to reach out to everyone, every group, instead of just boosting their base of support.

It would also give third-party candidates better chances of winning. Voters would see the greater impact of their opinion, and provide greater participation. According to studies and surveys, Rank Voting would considerably improve participation. Whether that works in real life, well it won't be seen unless the Benton County voters approve the change.

But it certainly can't hurt. AND to prevent voter fraud, go back to actual polling places where people go to cast their ballots, instead of mailing them in.