Dear Editor,
Last year, the Vermont Senate advanced a bill to bring Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) to presidential primaries, beginning in 2028. This bill had support from the three parties and the Vermont Secretary of State. But the Vermont House needs to act.
Our current “choose one” voting system leaves many voters with no meaningful options and advances candidates who lack broad support. RCV is a better way forward. It’s currently used by more than 13 million Americans in cities from NYC to Burlington, Vt., and Maine and Alaska, where it is used in federal and presidential elections.
RCV cuts down on wasted votes for candidates who drop out. In Vermont, a high percentage of voters vote absentee weeks ahead of the election. This is also true for overseas and military voters.
RCV offers more choices, allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference. This eliminates spoilers who can split the majority vote between two similar candidates.
Please consider contacting your Vermont House Representative and urge them to support RCV in the 2028 presidential primary.
For more information on how Ranked Choice Voting works, go to betterballotvermont.org (a local option) and fairvote.org (a nationwide resource).
Carol Clauss,
Bristol
