I still cannot believe....

Damocles

Damocles

Accedo!
Staff member
That Alaska's Rank Choice Voting repeal lost by a bit under 800 votes, folks that were complaining about their Congresscritters selected from the losers pile voted to keep that mess.

Crazy.

If I were in Alaska I would file, run, and my campaign would be:

Only Count to One!

Ads:

“Hi, Joe Alaska again. I’m on the ballot, but this isn’t about me.

This is about taking your vote back.

Step 1: Find the candidate you actually like.
Step 2: Bubble them #1.
Step 3: Leave every other oval 100 % blank.


That’s it.

Even if that #1 bubble is for my opponent, do it.

Because every blank line breaks the machine.


One bubble = election night results.
One bubble = no 15-day wait.
One bubble = no computer giving your vote to the guy you hate.


So vote for whoever you want, just vote for ONE.
Tell Juneau:‘We’re done ranking strangers.’”


Then end every ad with the same 9-word closer:
“One bubble. One night. Done. Only Count to One!”

<end scene>

I'd make bumper stickers that said: just "Vote - Only Count to One!" It would be like the "Vote No for Mayor" in Brewster's Millions...
 
Damocles said:
That Alaska's Rank Choice Voting repeal lost by a bit under 800 votes, folks that were complaining about their Congresscritters selected from the losers pile voted to keep that mess.

Crazy.

If I were in Alaska I would file, run, and my campaign would be:

Only Count to One!

Ads:

“Hi, Joe Alaska again. I’m on the ballot, but this isn’t about me.

This is about taking your vote back.

Step 1: Find the candidate you actually like.
Step 2: Bubble them #1.
Step 3: Leave every other oval 100 % blank.


That’s it.

Even if that #1 bubble is for my opponent, do it.

Because every blank line breaks the machine.


One bubble = election night results.
One bubble = no 15-day wait.
One bubble = no computer giving your vote to the guy you hate.


So vote for whoever you want, just vote for ONE.
Tell Juneau:‘We’re done ranking strangers.’”


Then end every ad with the same 9-word closer:
“One bubble. One night. Done. Only Count to One!”

<end scene>

I'd make bumper stickers that said: just "Vote - Only Count to One!" It would be like the "Vote No for Mayor" in Brewster's Millions...
Click to expand...
I tried looking this up, cause I don't understand it. In the future, you need to explain what it is before you try to school ppl of what happened....just a FYI
 
Damocles said:
That Alaska's Rank Choice Voting repeal lost by a bit under 800 votes, folks that were complaining about their Congresscritters selected from the losers pile voted to keep that mess.

Crazy.

If I were in Alaska I would file, run, and my campaign would be:

Only Count to One!

Ads:

“Hi, Joe Alaska again. I’m on the ballot, but this isn’t about me.

This is about taking your vote back.

Step 1: Find the candidate you actually like.
Step 2: Bubble them #1.
Step 3: Leave every other oval 100 % blank.


That’s it.

Even if that #1 bubble is for my opponent, do it.

Because every blank line breaks the machine.


One bubble = election night results.
One bubble = no 15-day wait.
One bubble = no computer giving your vote to the guy you hate.


So vote for whoever you want, just vote for ONE.
Tell Juneau:‘We’re done ranking strangers.’”


Then end every ad with the same 9-word closer:
“One bubble. One night. Done. Only Count to One!”

<end scene>

I'd make bumper stickers that said: just "Vote - Only Count to One!" It would be like the "Vote No for Mayor" in Brewster's Millions...
Click to expand...
I believe only filling in one bubble, if your candidate fails to get 50.1%, your one bubble ballot is just skipping the runoff.

That wacko running for mayor in Minneapolis was flooding the ad space with him asking for you to fill him in on top, and then he named two other nondescript candidates for bubbles two and three.

Under ranked choice, which is the new darling of the dems, it is very likely you can have a winner with a minority of votes.

Imagine three candidates; we’ll call them Castro, Hitler and Biden. In the first round, Biden gets 32% of first-place votes, Hitler gets 35%, and Castro gets 33%. It’s close, but Biden is eliminated. The Biden voters’ second choice was equally divided between Hitler and Castro, so Hitler wins, even though all the other second-choice votes went to Biden—he was the first or second choice of all the voters, but he’s still out.
 
This happened in 2024. Ranked Choice Voting is why Alaska takes seven centuries to tabulate their votes, why Murkowski, who loses the first choice vote, winds up winning after they push this through the algorithm. It also makes hand counts entirely impossible. If you wanted to recount, it goes back in the machines with the algorithm because it is impossible to figure it out by hand...

Anyway, because of RCV, Alaska is represented by folks they all seem to dislike, like living in a tie game all the time.

So, they put it on the ballot in 2024, and it lost by 743 votes... 743. It's likely to be on the ballot in 2026 again. However, in the meantime they get to run elections where they rank 4 choices, and folks just keep doing it rather than forcing it to end at choice #1...
 
Lionfish said:
I believe only filling in one bubble, if your candidate fails to get 50.1%, your one bubble ballot is just skipping the runoff.

That wacko running for mayor in Minneapolis was flooding the ad space with him asking for you to fill him in on top, and then he named two other nondescript candidates for bubbles two and three.

Under ranked choice, which is the new darling of the dems, it is very likely you can have a winner with a minority of votes.

Imagine three candidates; we’ll call them Castro, Hitler and Biden. In the first round, Biden gets 32% of first-place votes, Hitler gets 35%, and Castro gets 33%. It’s close, but Biden is eliminated. The Biden voters’ second choice was equally divided between Hitler and Castro, so Hitler wins, even though all the other second-choice votes went to Biden—he was the first or second choice of all the voters, but he’s still out.
Click to expand...
It makes it so Murkowski doesn't have votes in the #2. You cannot say list the guy you want to win twice... It doesn't work, that's an overvote and it cancels your ballot entirely. However it makes it so on the recount the 2nd choice loses votes. Your #1 will still be on the ballot, so long as they didn't lose outright. If #1 got 50% plus one I think it wins...

It will not hurt your candidate for you not to select a number 2 is what I am saying, it can only help them.

Here’s the 60-second proof, straight from the Alaska statute and the 2024 poll-worker manual:


  1. Round 1Every ballot with Joe #1 counts as 1 vote for Joe, whether you ranked anyone else or not.
  2. If Joe is eliminated
    • Ballots that ranked a #2 → move to that #2
    • Ballots that left #2 blank → are set aside and STOP COUNTING→ Your vote never helps the enemy
  3. If Joe is still in the raceYour lone #1 vote stays with Joe forever.It never shrinks, never moves, never disappears.
Only count to one ensures your guy continues to get your vote, if you select a number 2.... not so much.
 
Damocles said:
It makes it so Murkowski doesn't have votes in the #2. You cannot say list the guy you want to win twice... It doesn't work, that's an overvote and it cancels your ballot entirely. However it makes it so on the recount the 2nd choice loses votes. Your #1 will still be on the ballot, so long as they didn't lose outright. If #1 got 50% plus one I think it wins...

It will not hurt your candidate for you not to select a number 2 is what I am saying, it can only help them.

Here’s the 60-second proof, straight from the Alaska statute and the 2024 poll-worker manual:


  1. Round 1Every ballot with Joe #1 counts as 1 vote for Joe, whether you ranked anyone else or not.
  2. If Joe is eliminated
    • Ballots that ranked a #2 → move to that #2
    • Ballots that left #2 blank → are set aside and STOP COUNTING→ Your vote never helps the enemy
  3. If Joe is still in the raceYour lone #1 vote stays with Joe forever.It never shrinks, never moves, never disappears.
Only count to one ensures your guy continues to get your vote, if you select a number 2.... not so much.
Click to expand...
My understanding is they only go to your #2 once your #1 is eliminated. So it doesn't hurt your first choice to mark additional candidates.
 
cawacko said:
My understanding is they only go to your #2 once your #1 is eliminated. So it doesn't hurt your first choice to mark additional candidates.
Click to expand...
Not "eliminated"..

Your number 2 choice sucks. If you do not give them a vote it hurts them, your number 1 is still there getting whomever selected them for number 2. You have helped your candidate by not voting on 2 through 4. Do not "hold your nose" and select number 2. It will not help the guy you want to win. The only way to help your guy after round 1 is to not select 2 through 4 at all.

As I said in my "ad" example above. Only count to one...
 
Another way to fix it would be to allow you to rank your first choice as the top choice in all four rounds. Calling it an overvote for Joe is IMHO telling you that you cannot vote for who you want in the second round of voting, you have to select some jackwipe you don't like or we won't even count your first round vote...

You should be able to rank Joe Alaska #1 through #4 and be done. Then others who like to kiss their sister can rank people they dislike.
 
Damocles said:
Not "eliminated"..

Your number 2 choice sucks. If you do not give them a vote it hurts them, your number 1 is still there getting whomever selected them for number 2. You have helped your candidate by not voting on 2 through 4. Do not "hold your nose" and select number 2. It will not help the guy you want to win. The only way to help your guy after round 1 is to not select 2 through 4 at all.

As I said in my "ad" example above. Only count to one...
Click to expand...
Say I vote Damocles #1 and Mott The Hoople #2; as long as you are not eliminated (one person is eliminated each round) you will be my choice every round.

If you are eliminated, then my vote goes to Mott. If I didn't pick anyone #2, then I'm done after you're eliminated.
 
cawacko said:
Say I vote Damocles #1 and Mott The Hoople #2; as long as you are not eliminated (one person is eliminated each round) you will be my choice every round.

If you are eliminated, then my vote goes to Mott. If I didn't pick anyone #2, then I'm done after you're eliminated.
Click to expand...
No. that is not how it works.

When round 2 comes around they count number 2 votes only... If you do not vote at all then someone you dislike is not getting your vote in round 2 through 4 and you are not helping someone you don't want to win to well... win.

Your problem is calling it "eliminated". If the guy I want is literally eliminated in the first round I still do not want to vote for a D because those are all that are left to rank anyway. However, they are not eliminated. If folks are selecting a round 2 choice Joe Alaska gets those Round 2 votes and your vote does not help some leftist get into office. Your vote for a #2 choice can only help someone you do not want to get in, not voting for someone you do not like in 2 through 4 will not hurt Joe Alaska.
 
Damocles said:
No. that is not how it works.

When round 2 comes around they count number 2 votes only... If you do not vote at all then someone you dislike is not getting your vote in round 2 through 4 and you are not helping someone you don't want to win to well... win.

Your problem is calling it "eliminated". If the guy I want is literally eliminated in the first round I still do not want to vote for a D because those are all that are left to rank anyway. However, they are not eliminated. If folks are selecting a round 2 choice Joe Alaska gets those Round 2 votes and your vote does not help some leftist get into office. Your vote for a #2 choice can only help someone you do not want to get in, not voting for someone you do not like in 2 through 4 will not hurt Joe Alaska.
Click to expand...
You don't have to pick a second choice. If you vote for Mott he will be your pick every round until either he wins, or is eliminated. Then you're done.
 
Damocles said:
That Alaska's Rank Choice Voting repeal lost by a bit under 800 votes, folks that were complaining about their Congresscritters selected from the losers pile voted to keep that mess.

Crazy.

If I were in Alaska I would file, run, and my campaign would be:

Only Count to One!

Ads:

“Hi, Joe Alaska again. I’m on the ballot, but this isn’t about me.

This is about taking your vote back.

Step 1: Find the candidate you actually like.
Step 2: Bubble them #1.
Step 3: Leave every other oval 100 % blank.


That’s it.

Even if that #1 bubble is for my opponent, do it.

Because every blank line breaks the machine.


One bubble = election night results.
One bubble = no 15-day wait.
One bubble = no computer giving your vote to the guy you hate.


So vote for whoever you want, just vote for ONE.
Tell Juneau:‘We’re done ranking strangers.’”


Then end every ad with the same 9-word closer:
“One bubble. One night. Done. Only Count to One!”

<end scene>

I'd make bumper stickers that said: just "Vote - Only Count to One!" It would be like the "Vote No for Mayor" in Brewster's Millions...
Click to expand...
I confess to not liking rank choice voting.
 
Damocles said:
No. that is not how it works.

When round 2 comes around they count number 2 votes only... If you do not vote at all then someone you dislike is not getting your vote in round 2 through 4 and you are not helping someone you don't want to win to well... win.

Your problem is calling it "eliminated". If the guy I want is literally eliminated in the first round I still do not want to vote for a D because those are all that are left to rank anyway. However, they are not eliminated. If folks are selecting a round 2 choice Joe Alaska gets those Round 2 votes and your vote does not help some leftist get into office. Your vote for a #2 choice can only help someone you do not want to get in, not voting for someone you do not like in 2 through 4 will not hurt Joe Alaska.
Click to expand...
In the last San Francisco mayor’s race there were three 'moderate' Democrats and one progressive. I didn’t want the progressive to win, so I ranked the three moderates. The candidate I put at #2 ended up winning.
 
cawacko said:
In the last San Francisco mayor’s race there were three 'moderate' Democrats and one progressive. I didn’t want the progressive to win, so I ranked the three moderates. The candidate I put at #2 ended up winning.
Click to expand...
If I saw 2 conservatives in the race in Alaska, I'd pick them 1 and 2 and stop... However my campaign would be an attempt to end the pain of RCV to begin with. Only vote for one, don't rank anyone you do not want to win, ever. It only helps the bad guy take the prize.
 
Damocles said:
It seems to always fail left.
Click to expand...
I'm not comfortable about directly awarding office to candidates that most of the electorate voted against.
Even if the runoff is between two candidates that didn't get a large percentage of the vote,
at least a decision is made as to the lesser of two evils. I often have to do that,
vote for a Democrat I don't particularly like to stop the Republican,
although I actually liked Harris.

In an election where, say, four or six people will be seated,
there's nothing wrong with voting a bullet for the one you want most.
 
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