| Editorial Board | Bend Bulletin |
Ranked-choice voting may be coming to Oregon. House Speaker Dan Rayfield told us this week his name may be on the bill that aims to do it in the next legislative session.
Rayfield believes Oregon is ready. One of the criticisms of ranked-choice voting is: It is complicated. He said his young son understands how it works. He is certain Oregonians will get it.
”the freedom to vote for who they really want to win...
Rayfield believes it is a better system that allows people the freedom to vote for who they really want to win without feeling like they are throwing their vote away. Right now, if a Democrat is running for office against a Republican and sees a Conservative Party candidate enter the race, he or she is likely pleased.
The same thing goes if a Republican running for office against a Democrat sees a Green Party candidate join the race, there’s likely a similar reaction.
In either case, the third-party candidates may get some votes but any votes they do get will likely only just hurt their opponent. In ranked-choice voting, they might be taken more seriously.
