| Nicole McMillan | The Daily of the University of Washington |
Following this year’s midterm election results, Seattle has voted to adopt a new voting system that will alter the political landscape of local elections. With a deadline to start by 2027 at the latest, Seattle voters will switch to a ranked choice voting system where they will rank up to five of their preferred candidates as opposed to casting their ballot for a single candidate.
”You get more voice.
Ben Chapman, communications manager at FairVote Washington, explained how ranked choice voting has the potential to change the political environment.
“Ranked choice voting fundamentally reshapes the conversation to where candidates have to reach out to all voters, not just their possibly polarized small base,” Chapman said. “They have to reach out across all types of ideology and political preference lines.”
“You have more expression, more control over your vote,” Chapman said. “You get more voice.”
