A great experiment is taking place in Alaska this election season. Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is being promoted as giving a greater voice to all political perspectives. All votes will count, they tell us, but the actual outcome will be no different than the traditional non-ranked voting. Principle will succumb to expediency, and the same fear that the enemy is going to win will determine the outcome.
Winston Churchill said, “You may take the most gallant sailor, the most intrepid airman or the most audacious soldier, put them at a table together – what do you get? The sum of their fears.”
Elections in America are the same. Two party voters often make choices based on the sum of all their fears: Republicans fear Democrats taking power, Democrats fear Republicans taking power. Each person self “ranks” his or her own choice in primary election by who they think has the best change of defeating “the enemy,” even if the candidate chosen does not share the same principles as the voter.
Alternative party or independent voters, tend to choose candidates based on principle, in spite of the fact that their chances of winning are greatly diminished by the Fear Factor of the two-party voters.
What is Ranked Choice Voting?
In traditional voting, the voter selects one candidate in each category and whichever candidate get the most votes is then elected to serve a particular office.
Ranked Choice Voting in Alaska provides primaries in which the top four vote getters move on to the general election. The voter ranks the candidates first, second, third, or fourth out of an unknown number of certified candidates. On the first round of voting, if no single candidate has achieved 50% plus one number of votes, then the least vote-getting candidate is eliminated and his or her votes go to the third choice of the individual voter. This creates the second round. The process continues with the lowest vote getter being eliminated and re-distributed until one candidate eventually achieves a majority. The hope is that this candidate will have been selected in such a way that will unify the majority of the electorate, as well as opening the door for segments of the population who often feel dis-enfranchised by the current system to feel that they had a voice in the election.
For the Constitutionist voter, however, RCV continues to subdue their voice because it does nothing to correct the unconstitutional two-party election system currently operating in America, nor the mindset of the average voter who has been conditioned to believe that this is how it has always been and will always be.
The Constitutionist Ranked Choice Voting System
Voters, like myself, who support a return to the original intent of the Constitution of the united States of America, have their own version of RCV. We rank each individual candidate by the principles they espouse rather than party affiliation before we even get to the ballot box.
- Is the candidate legally qualified by federal and state law to hold the office in question?
- Does the candidate seem to know and understand the principles and guidelines found in the federal Constitution and in their respective state Constitution?
- Does the candidate appear to have integrity and honor in his or her personal and professional life?
- Does the candidate seem to have the knowledge of how governmental organizations operate? (Robert’s Rules of Order, the legislative process, etc.)
- Does the candidate understand that the Constitution restricts and limits the actions of lawmakers to specifically defined powers?
- Does the candidate understand that the Constitution protects the rights of the people, who hold all natural rights within their persons, and that the Constitution does not bestow rights because it does not have the power to create rights?
- Is the candidate committed to his or her oath of office, that is, to support the Constitution, and are they willing to be held accountable to that oath by their constituents?
- Is the candidate willing to defend the Constitutionally protected rights of his or her constituents against encroachment by other elected officers or through the legislative and regulatory processes?
Once these boxes in the Constitutionist’s personal Ranked Choice Voting test is done, then we can look at more specific issues for further refinement of our choice. Each Constitutionist decides which items are of more importance to his or her conscience and ranks accordingly. The Constitutionist sees his or her vote as a sacred duty and stewardship to preserve liberty for future generations.
Finally, the Constitutionist will choose only the candidates who meet the criteria above. If that is only one per election, then one it is, for it is the principle that matters in the long term. Sometimes the Constitutionist might have to select “None of the Above”, if that is an option, or not cast a vote for any of the candidates. Voting for the lesser of two, or three, or four candidates, will only net the voter lesser candidates, not greater.
Tips
Whatever method you choose to vote or to rank the candidates, don’t forget to check out the official write in candidates, as you may find a great candidate among them.
Voting your conscience will not only help you sleep better knowing you made the best choice you could, it will also lift you up out of the political street battles which rage on social media and television news programs. You will be able to see the issues more clearly and see what the best solutions might be, when your sight is no longer blurred by the fog of political rhetoric.
Do your homework. Researching candidates and issues has never been easier in the history of the world. Take advantage of it.
Support your chosen candidate with a nice note or a contribution. Running for office is difficult and can be expensive.
Finally, remember Fear is not a Factor when Faith and Commitment prevail.
This Constitutionist’s Pre-Ranked Vote Choices for the 2022 Alaska Primaries:
U.S. Representative: Chris Bye, write-in (www.itstimealaska.com)
U.S. Senator: Karl Speights (https://karlspeights4alaskaussenate.com/)
Alaska State Senate, District N: Scott Clayton (https://www.claytonforaksenate.com/)
Alaska State Representative, District 27: David Eastman (https://davideastman.org/)
Liberty Principia 