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TESTIMONY
Testimony by Rob Richie, President of Expand Democracy, comparing top-two and top-four primary systems
2:32:28
·
3 min
Rob Richie, President of Expand Democracy and co-founder of FairVote, advocates for expanding ranked-choice voting (RCV) to November general elections rather than moving away from it.
He strongly favors a top-four primary system with RCV in the general election over a top-two system.
Richie argues top-four allows a more representative electorate to decide in November, offers greater voter choice, and is less susceptible to "gaming the vote" by well-funded campaigns compared to top-two systems.
- He contrasts the experiences of California (top-two, high polarization) with Alaska (top-four, more bipartisan outcomes), suggesting top-four brings more voters in and could build a broader reform coalition.
Rob Richie
2:32:28
My name's, Rob Ritchie.
2:32:30
I co founded Fairbode and led it for thirty one years.
2:32:33
I'm now president of Expand Democracy, a nonprofit seeking to catalyze conversation about pro democracy ideas.
2:32:38
Thanks for this additional opportunity to testify as a follow-up to my in person testimony a couple weeks ago.
2:32:43
I was here on a few a key policy choice if you propose an all candidate primary model: Top two with a lower turnout primary followed by a five month runoff or a Top four primary where the larger, more diverse November electorate can choose more and more candidates with ranked choice voting.
2:32:59
As a starting point, RCV is making a powerful difference in your politics.
2:33:03
Because of RCV, candidates are reaching out to far more voters and winning with far more votes than in the old choose one system.
2:33:09
Washington Post yesterday did a pro RCV editorial with this excerpt.
2:33:13
This is how ranked choice voting is supposed to work.
2:33:15
It's meant to encourage candidates to broaden their appeal and achieve consensus rather than going negative.
2:33:19
It allows people to vote for their preferred candidate without worrying that they are voting for a spoiler.
2:33:24
The absurdity about New York's approach to ranked choice voting is that the city uses it in primaries but not general elections.
2:33:30
It should be used for both.
2:33:32
Given your city's investment to bring RCV to New York, I would embrace this suggestion: expand RCV to November rather than move away from it.
2:33:38
Let me now directly compare Top two with Top four.
2:33:42
First, a more representative electorate when it matters.
2:33:45
Under Top two, nearly all candidates are eliminated in the primary, yet typically about half as many voters participate in that primary as in November and are older, whiter, and wealthier.
2:33:55
Top four would ensure that primaries would not eliminate serious candidates that more representative November voters may support.
2:34:01
On voter choice, when only two candidates advance, voters have limited choice.
2:34:06
Under top two, most races feature only a Democrat and a Republican and usually are uncompetitive.
2:34:10
When a November race is competitive, it often means a narrower choice where only one major party has candidates, and independents and third parties pretty much never advance a candidate in top two.
2:34:20
In contrast, top four would be a win win for voter choice, more likely to have competition with more than one candidate from a district's majority party, while still more often having candidates from other major parties and representing independents and third parties.
2:34:36
Gaming the vote.
2:34:37
Given how much easier it is for a district's majority party candidate to defeat a candidate not part of that party, you see blatant gaming in top two elections.
2:34:44
Last year, allies of front runner Adam Schiff in California's U.
2:34:47
S.
2:34:48
Senate race spent more than $10,000,000 lifting up Republican Steve Garvey in the primary, thereby successfully choosing his opponent, who was then easy to defeat in November.
2:34:57
That kind of big money politics is common in top two, as more money is needed both for the primary and for runoffs where negative ads are incentivized.
2:35:05
Given such realities, it's no accident that the two states we're top two, California and Washington, have relatively few competitive elections, and their state legislatures are two of the four most polarized state legislatures in the country.
2:35:17
Yet after just two elections we're top four, Alaska has general elections that matter, majority woman house, and bipartisan coalitions running both chambers in ways focused on getting things done for voters.
2:35:26
Top four brings more voters in, and I believe it's likely that a top four campaign would allow for a broader reform coalition because New York has a readiness
Richard R. Buery Jr.
2:35:34
okay.
2:35:34
Thanks.