Letters to the Editor: Ranked-choice voting would fight the ‘gamification’ of elections

To the editor: In their respective pieces on the March 5 vote, columnist Erika D. Smith and election reform advocate Nick Troiano do a good job of identifying problems with our election system. But they fail to mention one reform that could mitigate the problems they cite: ranked-choice voting.

By eliminating the tension between voting one’s conscience (or sending a message) and wasting one’s vote, ranked-choice offers more satisfaction from the act of voting. In the Senate race, one could have put Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) first and Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) second without worrying about increasing Republican Steve Garvey’s chance of making the runoff.

Some fear that ranked-choice voting is too complicated. But by dampening the “gamification” strategy that Smith cites, it’s actually simpler and more natural. And voters don’t actually have to take advantage of it because they could still just list one candidate in each race.

The Times could do us a service by giving the idea more coverage, including how well it’s working in places that have adopted it.

Jack McGregor, Woodland Hills

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To the editor: I’m glad that Smith calls out the “gamification” of elections, which the media propagate with their emphasis on polls. Smith says this turns off voters.

However, I think she misses two points.

First, when people complain they don’t have time to vote, it’s actually that many (not those who are working two jobs or otherwise overworked) choose to do other things such as binge-watch TV shows or spend time on social media.

Second, she does not mention how important the down-ballot races are. Most voters turn out for “big” contests such as senator and president, but so many decisions that directly affect voters are made by local officials.

On March 5, we had elections for judges, City Council members, school board members and local and state measures. Information on all of these races was sent to every registered voter and was available online. These races are less susceptible to gamification.

As for people not being excited because the people running are not exactly who they want, it’s like taking the bus: It almost never gets you to your door, but that doesn’t mean you don’t take it. You just choose the one that gets you the closest.

Bonnie Voland, Los Angeles