• pjwestin@lemmy.world
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      7 hours ago

      Third parties run at all levels of government and they would actually benefit from eliminating first past the post polling far more than the major parties.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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        5 hours ago

        The bitter fact is that a winning candidate has no incentive to reform the voting system that put them in power.

        Why would a dominant party want to give any competitor an advantage?

        • JaymesRS@literature.cafeOP
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          3 hours ago

          Because they care about maintaining their voters far more than enticing non-voters. If you listen to legislators and their staff for example, the way they perceive it is that non-voters may as well not exist in their minds, but eroding voters get attention.

    • Billiam@lemmy.world
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      9 hours ago

      The fact that you only ever hear of third parties every four years really illustrates what their true objectives are.

      • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        The fact that you only ever hear about ranked choice voting when you tell Democrat you’re thinking of voting third part illustrates what their true objectives are.

        (Also, I see third candidate parties in every midterm and local election I vote in at all levels of government. I have no idea what you’re talking about).

        (Also also, anyone reading this who lives in a swing state and hasn’t voted yet, please, just votes for Harris. She sucks, but Trump is even more dangerous now that he has a staff full of enablers and an actual plan. We have to beat him.)

        • Billiam@lemmy.world
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          6 hours ago

          Not having RCV doesn’t make anything worse.

          Promoting third-parties without RCV in place does.

          • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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            6 hours ago

            Well, third parties have always existed and will always exist, so it sounds like the Democrats need to get cracking on RCV. That is, unless they don’t actually want RCV because it might disrupt the duopoly that empowers them, and they’d prefer that third-parties remain a boogeyman they can use to bully people I to voting for them (or a scapegoat for their losses).

              • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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                5 hours ago

                Statewide, sure, but there’s no broad discussion of abolishing FPTP polling like there is eliminating the Electoral College.

                • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
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                  4 hours ago

                  Don Beyer(D) proposed the Fair Representation Act in 2017 that included implementing RCV for electing representatives to the House.

                  It’s much easier to sell a national popular vote, since people are used to popular votes already. RCV will be much easier to push federally when there are plenty of states that use it locally. Until then it’s largely a non-starter.

                  • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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                    4 hours ago

                    Well, then, I look forward to Democrats actually doing that instead of just using third parties as a cudgel to keep their voters in line. However, I suspect that I’m about to stop hearing about RCV for four years.