Kentucky can strengthen elections and inspire confidence in the results. Here’s how – Courier Journal

David Daly, Opinion contributor Published 1:51 p.m. ET Nov. 15, 2019 | Updated 1:58 p.m. ET Nov. 15, 2019

Governor Matt Bevin gave his concession speech and Andy Beshear and Jacqueline Coleman held a press conference. By Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal, Louisville Courier Journal

Cooler heads have prevailed: The vote counts from Kentuckys gubernatorial election were triple-checked, and stood up for Democratic attorney general Andy Beshear. Gov. Matt Bevin conceded the race, and now a transition will begin.

Thats good news for all Kentuckians. Close elections create fevered emotions, but talk about the legislature overturning an election decided by the people can challenge the fragile norms and trust on which our system rests.

Now would also be a good time to strengthen Kentuckys elections to be sure the voice of the people is always heard clearly, and that the rules inspire confidence in the results. One powerful reform would be for Kentucky to adopt ranked choice voting (RCV).

There are many good reasons why this simple fix has been adopted by a growing number of cities and states nationwide, all the way from Utah to Maine: It provides voters with more choices. It allows them to express their opinions more precisely. Perhaps most importantly, RCV helps reintroduce civility into our politics at this dangerously polarized moment, loosening our red vs blue death grip.

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RCV works like an instant runoff, or the way friends pick a different movie to see if the one they hoped to buy tickets for is sold out. Its so sensible that five southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina) ask their overseas voters to cast RCV ballots in runoff elections to save time and make more votes count.

Voters get to rank the candidates in order of preference. If a candidate receives more than 50%of the vote, he or shewins, just like any other election. If no one is ranked first by a majority, then the candidate that finished last is eliminated, and second choice votes come into play. You end up with a winner that has true majority support.

Voters at Atherton High School fill out ballots on Tuesday morning.May 21, 2019(Photo: By Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal)

Those arent the only advantages. Under an RCV system, independent and minor party candidates get to compete without any spoiler effect. Voters get more choices, but also dont have to fear that exercising that choice will help elect the major-party candidate they like the least.

RCV is especially useful in a primary, where there can be multiple candidates and low turnout limited to the most dedicated partisans. These tend to produce plurality winners with 30% or 35%of the vote which means that a majority of voters inside a party preferred a different candidate. But the plurality winner then moves on to the general election, providing voters with a choice between two extremes.

Think back to 2015, when Bevin won the Republican nomination. The Tea Party favorite captured the GOP nod in a four-candidate field with just 32.9%of the voteand defeated James Comer Jr. by just 83 votes. Maybe Bevin still wins that race. But whoever did win would have been strengthened by being a majority winner. It wasnt long ago that Kentucky laws would have required that race go to a whole separate runoff one that created extra expenses and logistical burdens that RCV avoids.

Thats because RCV incentivizes politicians to campaign in an entirely different way, both in primaries and general elections. Instead of going negative, firing up their base and winning with a plurality, they need to construct bridges and alliances, and work for second- and third-place votes. Its not enough to win with a base of 35%. You need that majority. Studies have shown that female candidates fare better under this consensus-building approach as well.

In this months gubernatorial election, Libertarian candidate John Hicks won more than 28,000 votes, a total thats five times the narrow difference between Bevin and Beshear. Some Republican officials used that to argue that Bevin should be considered the rightful winner, because the Libertarians would have likely backed the more conservative candidate. That concern disappears with RCV.

Kentucky Libertarians reveled in the spoiler status and what they called the delicious tears of Bevin backers. We split the vote. And we could not be more thrilled, the party boasted on social media.

The Libertarians may not have cost Bevin the race. Bevin dramatically underperformed the GOP statewide ticket. He was abandoned by large numbers of Republicans, not only a smaller number of Hicks voters. Studies have also shown that Libertarian votes tend to be drawn from both Republicans and Democrats, and that many others stay home without a candidate of their own. But having RCV would have answered the question.

Our politics needs more choices, more consensus, as well as less talk from both Democrats and Republicans about spoilers and less enthusiasm from independents about delicious tears. The Libertarians have signed on: If our friends in the major parties do not want this to happen again, they should think about passing ranked choice voting.

Theres an opportunity here for all Kentuckians to come together after a bitter election and unite behind a powerful set of principles: That every vote counts, that genuine majorities rule best, and that elections that build consensus and bring us together remain within our grasp.

"I truly wish the attorney general well as the next governor of this state as he assumes these responsibilities," Bevin said. Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal

David Daley, a former Courier Journal editor, is the author of two books on democracy and voting rights, including the forthcoming Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy.

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Kentucky can strengthen elections and inspire confidence in the results. Here's how - Courier Journal