ALTERNATIVE VOTING METHODS PRESENTATION
A Discussion on Approval Voting
Saturday, May 4, 2019
3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Northwood Elementary School Commons
4030 86th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA
Our current political environment is more polarized and partisan than ever before, and a growing number of voters feel that their representatives don't actually represent them. One major contributor to our political woes is our terrible, choose-one voting method.
The League has been a strong proponent of exploring alternative voting methods and is excited to host the Executive Director of the Center for Election Science, Aaron Hamlin, to discuss what a voting method is, address the problems caused by our current voting method, and explain the ways that a better system, such as approval voting, could help create a stronger, healthier, and more representative democracy. See the details below.
Approval voting is a single-winner voting method that allows voters to choose any number of candidates. The candidate chosen by the greatest number of voters is the winner. Supporters of approval voting believe it to be a more expressive method that removes vote splitting, results in fewer spoiled ballots, has easy to understand results, and tends to elect more consensus winners. Further, alternate candidates get a more accurate measure of support.
Fargo, North Dakota, became the first city in the U.S. to implement approval voting for citywide elections in November 2018. The method is used by several political parties and professional organizations throughout the United States. Aaron Hamlin has been featured as an electoral systems expert on MSNBC, NPR, Free Speech TV, Inside Philanthropy, 80K Hours, and Popular Mechanics, and has given talks across the country on voting methods. He’s written for Deadspin, USA Today Magazine, Independent Voter Network, and others. Additionally, he is a licensed attorney with two additional graduate degrees in the social sciences. Hamlin’s other interests include chess, urban planning, contraceptive technology, and jiu-jitsu.
The Center for Election Science is a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization comprised of voting experts and activists dedicated to creating a better world through studying and advancing smarter voting methods.
Saturday, May 4, 2019
3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Northwood Elementary School Commons
4030 86th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA
Our current political environment is more polarized and partisan than ever before, and a growing number of voters feel that their representatives don't actually represent them. One major contributor to our political woes is our terrible, choose-one voting method.
The League has been a strong proponent of exploring alternative voting methods and is excited to host the Executive Director of the Center for Election Science, Aaron Hamlin, to discuss what a voting method is, address the problems caused by our current voting method, and explain the ways that a better system, such as approval voting, could help create a stronger, healthier, and more representative democracy. See the details below.
Approval voting is a single-winner voting method that allows voters to choose any number of candidates. The candidate chosen by the greatest number of voters is the winner. Supporters of approval voting believe it to be a more expressive method that removes vote splitting, results in fewer spoiled ballots, has easy to understand results, and tends to elect more consensus winners. Further, alternate candidates get a more accurate measure of support.
Fargo, North Dakota, became the first city in the U.S. to implement approval voting for citywide elections in November 2018. The method is used by several political parties and professional organizations throughout the United States. Aaron Hamlin has been featured as an electoral systems expert on MSNBC, NPR, Free Speech TV, Inside Philanthropy, 80K Hours, and Popular Mechanics, and has given talks across the country on voting methods. He’s written for Deadspin, USA Today Magazine, Independent Voter Network, and others. Additionally, he is a licensed attorney with two additional graduate degrees in the social sciences. Hamlin’s other interests include chess, urban planning, contraceptive technology, and jiu-jitsu.
The Center for Election Science is a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization comprised of voting experts and activists dedicated to creating a better world through studying and advancing smarter voting methods.