If ever there was an election to get America to move away from first-past-the-post to something like ranked choice, it’d be this one. Sadly, the people who would need to draft the amendment to change the rules were elected under the existing rules, and don’t have much motivation to alter them.
This is a primary, not the general. If now is not the time to make moves to apply pressure, then when? If there’s never a good time, then nevermind Trump, your democracy is already dead.
I just had this fight with some folks. My point was that denying protest in primaries denies all voice to dissent. Their point was that dissent in the primaries weakens the candidate in the general. I believe that both points are right, and that therefore our democracy is dead.
Unless we’re able to (a) eliminate the electoral college, and (b) institute a different voting tool e.g. ranked choice, then we are fucked.
E.g. ranked choice, I’m not saying only ranked choice. It could be approval voting for all I care, as long as if isn’t first-past-the-post, it would be an improvement.
A primary challenge strengthens the successful candidate in the general. Our democracy is deeply flawed, but it always has been. It’s not worse than in the past when only a tiny fraction of the population was allowed to vote. This is the first time in history that we’re seeing serious national discussion of ranked voting, and some states and localities have implemented it.
Approval voting is actually worse than first past the post, in my opinion. We need ranked choice, IRV or STV as appropriate.
The union’s executive board reached the endorsement decision on Wednesday night.
“Currently, many voters, and UFCW 3000 executive board, feel that the best path to have the best nominee, and to defeat Trump, is to vote ‘uncommitted,’” the union said in a statement. “The hope is that this will strengthen the Democratic party’s ultimate nominee to defeat Trump in the General Election in November.”
“We need a nominee who can run and beat Trump to protect workers across this country and around the world,” the statement continued.
With over 50,000 members, the union is a force to be reckoned with as Biden seeks to win over voters in the primary contest.
The president is facing an uphill battle as he seeks to mobilize the broad coalition of Americans who delivered his 2020 White House win. His continued supply of weapons and diplomatic cover for Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza is one of the major sticking points for young voters and voters of color.
Just this week, more than 100,000 Michigan primary voters cast their ballots “uncommitted” in solidarity with Gazans under siege after a three-week campaign. Biden won the swing state by just over 150,000 votes in 2020.
“We stand in solidarity with our partners in Michigan who sent a clear message in their primary that Biden must do more to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Biden must push for a lasting ceasefire and ending US funding toward this reckless war,” the Washington union said.
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