| Maximiliano Trujilo | Daily Californian |
A research paper co-led by a UC Berkeley professor found that in elections, ranked choice voting systems boost women and racial minority candidates.
”Women and minority candidates are often unfairly penalized
The paper, co-written by UC Berkeley Haas professor Rachel Gershon, found that ranked choice voting significantly shifted the behavior of voters by reducing bias. In ranked choice voting, individuals are less influenced by the “electability” of a candidate, which causes voters to select candidates “they believe others will support rather than choosing who they truly prefer,” according to the paper.
Gershon said under traditional voting systems “women and minority candidates are often unfairly penalized by electability concerns.” Fearing their votes will be wasted, voters often flock toward conventional candidates.