Is it possible to “waste” your vote even under ranked-choice voting?
Why, yes, it is!
Under RCV, you rank your preference of candidates by how well each candidate’s positions align with your priorities. For example, if Medicare for All is important to you, you would rank Lisa Savage first, because she supports Medicare for All, and you might rank Sara Gideon second because she opposes Medicare for All, but does support the inferior and costly Obamacare. Lisa Savage is the independent/Green candidate in Maine’s race for the U.S. Senate seat.
Nevertheless, all of that television advertising might induce you to vote first for the candidate who advertised the most or whose ads were the cleverest or who you think has the best chance of winning or who belongs to the right political party. Voting that way won’t get you any closer to Medicare for All. That’s how you can waste your vote under RCV.
So don’t waste your vote on a major party candidate unless you like the way things are now. If you want life to be better, vote Lisa first!
Brandon Marx
Portland
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