[link removed] [[link removed]]The Irish poet W.B. Yates wrote the poem the Second Coming in 1919 in the aftermath of the First World War. Yates foresaw that the first half of the 20th Century was a time of massive disruption, global conflict, and an absolute fracturing of society. The “center” was collapsing in Europe.
We know today that America’s center is at risk. The radical right and far left are threatening the very basis of common sense, moderation, and the foundational principles which bind us together as Americans.
We need electoral reform - structural changes to our democracy - which promotes consensus and blunts political polarization. I support two proposals that are gaining momentum across our nation.
Open Primaries: Voters in open primaries can vote for a candidate in their party, or they may choose to vote on the other party's ballot, crossing party lines. Open primaries also allow independent and third-party voters to participate in primaries without registering with the party. Open primaries give voters the greatest amount of freedom when casting their vote because they can vote in either party's primary.
In 21 states, at least one political party conducts open primaries for congressional and state-level offices.
Rank Choice Voting: Ranked-choice voting is an electoral system that allows people to vote for multiple candidates, in order of preference. Instead of just choosing one candidate, a voter fills out the ballot listing first, second, and third choices for each office.
The candidate with the majority (more than 50%) of first-choice votes wins outright. If no candidate gets a majority of first-choice votes, then it triggers a new counting process. The candidate who did the worst is eliminated, and that candidate’s voters’ ballots are redistributed to their second-choice pick. In other words, if a voter ranked a losing candidate as the first choice, and the candidate is eliminated, the ballot still counts: it just moves to the voter’s second-choice candidate. That process continues until there is a candidate who has the majority of votes.
In comparison, the U.S. federal government and most American states and cities currently use what’s known as the plurality system: the candidate with the highest number of votes wins—period. It doesn’t matter whether that candidate earned the majority of the vote.
Lawmakers in 29 states are considering measures that would adopt ranked-choice voting in some form, in local, statewide or presidential primary elections.
Our democracy, despite its imperfections, is a sacred gift from past generations to ours. We must nurture our democracy and adjust voting systems to reinforce the consensus in order to solve the biggest problems of our generation.
W.B. Yates understood that the center was essential to a functional democracy. There are three candidates still standing for Congress in Maryland’s First District. Andy Harris is the radical right. I will meet him in November. Heather Mizeur is the far left, our primary is July 19th. As Yates told us, “things fall apart” if “the center cannot hold”. I am the consensus, centrist candidate poised to win it all this election.
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Thank you,
Dave
Dave Harden is a Democrat running for Maryland's 1st Congressional District. Dave's running to replace Andy Harris and will help the 1st District unlock its extraordinary potential. Support Dave with a donation today.
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