The system used by most states, including every district in Wisconsin, goes by many names: single-winner, winner-take-all, or plurality. FairVote, an organization that advocates for more power and options for voters, explains how plurality works: “Under the plurality system, an area is divided into a number of geographically defined voting districts, each represented by a single elected official. Voters cast a single vote for their district’s representative, with the highest total vote-getter winning election, even if he or she has received less than half of the vote.” (Fairvote.com) This means as long as the candidate receives the most votes compared to the other candidates, they win. This causes several problems. The first being the fact that a majority of the population does not need to vote for a candidate for them to win. For example, a candidate can receive 46% of the vote, another 44%, and a third 10%. This then puts someone in office that a majority of the population (over 50%) did not vote for. The second problem that arises is that gerrymandering-the drawing of district lines in order to give advantage to a certain party- is promoted among incumbent and the majority party. The third problem that is most prominent is the “spoiler effect” (Fairvote.com). Essentially, this means that one would not vote for a third party candidate, despite agreeing with them the most, in order to cause the candidate they like least to lose. This means that voters vote to see their least favorite candidate lose, not their favorite candidate win. The spoiler system also promotes less choice. Parties try to limit the numbers of candidates running so that their party can't split, causing the other party to get a higher percentage of the votes. Overall, the single-winner system limits voter choice and puts candidates in power who don't represent the majority of the population. The idea of changing the electoral system in states and nationwide is not new; however, Maine voters passed a referendum on November 8th, 2017 to switch their statewide electoral system to a Ranked Choice Voting (Ranked Choice Voting) system for every election except the nationwide presidential election (Maine.gov). After a fairly successful 2018 midterm in Maine, the push for Ranked Choice Voting has grown significantly. This change is well revered by candidates, voters, and citizens that are sick of being unfairly represented and having their vote be trashed if their first choice candidate doesn't win (Fairvote.com).
The various issues with the plurality system have existed since it was put in as the states’ electoral system. In 1776, when the United States was established and a representative democracy was put into place, a single winner system was a revolutionary system. The electoral college was set up by the founding fathers because they did not trust voters’ ability to make informed decisions. With the internet and social media, voters can get information instantly, unlike in 1800’s. For a long period in US History, the major issues with voting weren't how the vote was counted but who could vote. By the 21st century, the problem with voting shifted into what electoral system is better for the people and creates the most desirable results for the voters. Many voters now believe that the plurality system leads to more problems than solutions and are open to a change (Fairvote.com).
As a future voter and active citizen of Wisconsin, I would like to have my vote better represented. I would like to see a solution to the numerous issues with the current electoral system.
Recently, Ranked Choice Voting activists from Maine have been fighting lawsuits about the state constitutionality of an Ranked Choice Voting system (David Packman; Youtube.com). These activists have overcome lawsuits before on this same issue, proving that Ranked Choice Voting is constitutional in Maine; in effect, Maine used Ranked Choice Voting in the 2018 midterm. In Wisconsin, however, no bills have been proposed or passed to adopt a different electoral system. For a bill to pass to change the state electoral system in Wisconsin, it would need to be approved by the assembly, senate, and by the governor. To change the Electoral College, used for national elections, an amendment would likely need to be made to the U.S. constitution. That would require ratification from two thirds of the states or both houses of Congress.
There are several groups involved in this movement; namely, Fairvote and RepresentUs. There are many progressives involved in this movement, including Fairvote CEO Rob Richie and co-founder of the committee for Ranked Choice Voting in Maine Kara Brown McCormack (0.07 David Packman; Youtube.com). Overall, more conservative voters do not support the effort to change the electoral system.