If you believe some critics, ranked choice voting (RCV) is a partisan Democratic scheme cooked up to “rig” American elections and handicap conservative and Republican candidates. These claims are bunk. RCV is a modest procedural reform aimed at somewhat improving the match between voter preferences and electoral outcomes, with implications that are neutral as between left and right. It’s part of a category of electoral reforms that have drawn interest for centuries from scholars, very much including free-market economists.
Since sore feelings about Sarah Palin’s loss in Alaska’s three-way House race have driven a lot of commentary, let’s start there. It was very much a personal loss, resulting from many independents’ and Republicans’ reluctance to give her their votes. Some thought the former governor in pursuing a role on the national stage had neglected Alaska and its interests. Palin even told voters not to use their second-choice votes, making it less surprising when backers of rival Nick Begich took her at her word. At the same time Democrats had a candidate with unusual crossover appeal in Rep. Mary Peltola, who was respected on natural resource issues and had worked closely with the late Rep. Don Young (R), many of whose supporters backed her.
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