How Ranked Choice Voting Stops Fascism Cold

© Mark McWiggins 2024

The modern analysis of ranked voting began when Jean-Charles de Borda published a paper in 1781, advocating for the Borda count method that now bears his name. This methodology drew criticism from the Marquis de Condorcet, who developed his own methods after arguing Borda’s approach did not accurately reflect group preferences.[2]

Interest in ranked voting continued throughout the 19th century. Danish pioneer Carl Andræ formulated the single transferable vote (STV) system, which was adopted by his native Denmark in 1855. Condorcet had previously considered the similar instant-runoff system before rejecting it as paradoxical.[3][4] (source: Wikipedia)

STV was adopted further throughout Western Europe (except the UK) over the following 150+ years, also more recently showing up in the US, in Maine, Alaska, and a lot of localities, including Seattle, Santa Fe, and San Franciso, among others.

Now: what about the political and sociological implications of this form of voting?

First, it’s more responsive in subtle shifts back and forth, typically between center-left and center-right governments. In the parliamentary system one party doesn’t (typically) take over the whole government, in fact is forced to negotiate with the other parties to form a unity government. It’s also true that extreme swings in either direction are rare … this means that it will be almost impossible for Fascism to arise.

Fascist-type parties (modern MAGA-type Republicans, Germany in the 1930’s) have several things in common:

(1) Rule of the majority by a relatively tiny majority (extremely tiny in the case of 1930’s Germany), about 30–35% (max) of the electorate in the case of the modern MAGA republicans.

So how does Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) help?

First, MAGAS and Fascists are nobody’s second choice. So they would always be eliminated in the first or second round, maximum.

Second, the psychological impact of RCV runs throughout the process:

(a) Talking “smack” about one’s opponents is a losing proposition; except for the small constituencies (MAGA, Nazis) who get off on screaming about their opponents during rallies … they will always be eliminated in the first or second RCV rounds.

(b) The possiblities for using RCV to give the wishes of any individual voter top billing are best illustrated with an example: here in Washington in 2024, we have two extremely Liberal Seattle types, Bob Ferguson and another Liberal type and Mark Mullet and several Republicans.

The current “first-past-the-post” (current system) polls only show Ferguson vs. Reichert.

Ranked-Choice Voting has several benefits over our current system: (1) gerrymandering becomes ineffective (2) the incentive for most negative campaigning is eliminated and (3) one can’t win without majority support (with a couple of minor exceptions, and in those cases the winner will have still received the most votes.)

It’s also much more responsive to the nuances of the electorate … for example, with a (relatively) conservative Democrat (Mark Mullet) and two dyed-in the wool Liberals — Attorney General Bob Ferguson and another lesser-known one in the 2024 race for Governor in Washington State, one could: vote either of the Liberals #1 and stop … no doubt one (almost certainly Bob Ferguson) will be elected. Or: vote Mark Mullet #1 and one of the Liberals #2, and a voter doing this can have a moderating effect on the Ferguson, depending on how many Mullet votes come in #1.

“Strategic voting” and whatnot (trying to get a relatively extreme/unelectable person in the other party in place becomes completely ridiculous in this system; it makes no sense, since everyone of all parties are running in the same block.

And now to the point of this article: how Ranked-Choice Voting stops Fascism cold. Fascists (Trump, Hitler, Ergodan), etc. never come up with majority support for their positions, so they will inevitably sink in the first round of any ranked-choice voting system.

Not much humor in Fascism, except for our own Mr. Trump:

His microphone wasn’t on and he said “who did this? … must have been Crooked Hilary” source: Youtube (The Sun)

Insults a tv reporter who was trying to interview him on his immigration position “cmon, get it out … you don’t even know what you’re talking about!”

Showing a copy of his (ghostwritten) book: The Art of the Deal and suggesting that Obama and Kerry should read it. (Source: Analogia YouTube

Admiring his own picture at CPAC 2018 (Source: Washington Post Youtube)

Visiting China (apparently) and saying “getting a good picture, everybody, so I look nice and thin?” … I’m not sure what the translator told the Chinese guys (I don’t speak Chinese) … but it could have been a straight translation … anybody who would think 280+ lb Trump thin? Funny … the Chinese people’s expressions are hilarious.

“China has total respect for Donald Trump’s very very large brain”

“This is a tough hurricane; one of the wettest we’ve ever seen” in 2018 Probably Hurricane Isaac, certainly wet but only a Category 1 …

He said he “fell in love” with North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un … “he wrote me beautiful letters” Trump said.

Walked up the steps of the plane with a piece of toilet paper stuck on his left shoe.

Another plane ascent … it was raining and Prince Trump, rather than folding the umbrella to get it through the door, just dropped it and left it for somebody else to handle.

All of these later ones are courtesy the Washington Post … thanks to them.

Frederick Douglass “is being recognized more and more” despite having died in 1895! (And Black, which Trump must not have known)

This last one is from YouTube “Cliff’s Edge”

Johnny Depp played Donald Trump in a movie “The ART Of the Deal” (source: ABC News Youtube)

That’s it!