To the Editor,

A grassroots group of Progressive Democrats are attempting to sabotage the current ballot election system.  Across the country, they are introducing legislation to implement ranked-choice voting (RCV), which would completely change how votes are counted. 

With RCV, when no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round, some voters’ legitimate ballots in ranked-choice voting elections must be trashed to get to a forced majority. This is not a flaw in the system, it is THEIR system, RCV.

Supporters like to call these “exhausted ballots” or “ballot exhaustion,” as if the ballots just got tired and failed to make it to the end of counting. But make no mistake, these ballots are thrown in the trash. People who took the time to educate themselves and vote no longer have a say in the election.

The number of trashed ballots is not insignificant-depending on the size of the electorate and the number of candidates, thousands or even tens of thousands of ballots are trashed. By throwing away these ballots Ranked Choice Voting is erasing their opinion and leaving their voice unheard in the democratic system.

According to the Foundation for Government Accountability website, the public learned of trashed ballots from the very beginning. 

Maine was the first state to use ranked-choice voting in a federal election in 2018. In a highly contested race in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, 8,253 voters who wanted their voices heard instead had their ballots thrown away.

Alaska’s congressional special election to fill its At-Large District, nearly 15,000 ballots were tossed from consideration. This includes more than 11,000 ballots that were trashed because they voted for only one Republican candidate and no one else.

These ballots are not “exhausted” as proponents like to pretend, they are trashed, and the voters are in effect disenfranchised. People who wanted to, and thought they had, voted for a certain candidate, did not.

State legislators seeking a solution should consider the actions of Florida, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, and Tennessee, which all banned ranked choice voting (RCV) in 2022. Alaska is also making efforts to remove RCV, with a ballot question scheduled for 2024. Legislators aiming to safeguard ballots and the will of the people should contemplate enacting laws to prohibit RCV statewide, thereby ensuring that every vote is counted and valued.

To learn more or to get involved please visit: www.rifairelectionsandeducation.com or join our email list: rifairelections@protonmail.com. 

Sincerely,

Sara Vieira,
RI Fair Elections and Education