this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2025
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[–] [email protected] 34 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

It's kind of why we need Ranked Choice Voting.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

i live somewhere with mandatory voting, and have looked into places with ranked choice. it doesnt do much.

the problem is capitalism and the rich's interests being paid for instead of ours. not how the ballots are made or counted.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Alternative voting systems have in practice been proven useless, whether in South Korea, Japan, Australia, and many other capitalist dictatorship countries that use it. It might make bribery a bit more expensive, since there are more candidates to buy off, and more political advertising necessary, but it hasn't fixed anything.

The root problem is capital standing above political power. And that can't be undone using it's own platform.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

How are you measuring useless?

Australia has RCV and has more than 2 active political parties.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

RCV hasn't stopped right wing governments from coming to power, nor returned lands to indigenous Australians, nor done anything to reverse concentration of wealth or media ownership.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

True, it's just a voting system. It can't do those things unless people vote for those things to happen.

The thing RCV does do is break us out of the control of a 2-party government. So we could have a communist party with RCV, but can't in our current system.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You can't achieve a democracy through voting, it always results in an oligarchy. The wealthy / economically dominant classes are the only ones who have enough money / prestige to finance their campaigns and win the popularity contest. It makes any political system based on elections nothing more than political theatre.

This is basic stuff even the ancient greeks knew, and communists learned through trial and error, yet liberals in the 21st century can't wrap their heads around it.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

That's an interesting perspective on things and gives me something to think about.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

No probs. Here's an overview of how communists view democracy.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

RCV specifically is worse than say Ranked Robin voting, STAR voting, or score voting which all would make the least liked candidate winning less likely compared to RCV or FPTP.

Most countries stopped at RCV, but Ranked Robin or STAR would be a big upgrade.

Fixing the voting system is just one of the key things that needs to happen though. Education desperately needs reforms. Our media desperately needs reforms such as the Fairness Doctrine coming back and being expanded to all media and social media influencers/podcasters as well.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago

most countries that are not the US have more than 2 political parties.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I hear people say this, but how do we get it?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago

The people in power will lose their power if we did, so we won’t.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

It's up to the states. It already implemented in Maine and Alaska, with a majority of people in those state approving of it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

I'm still pissed off it was voted down in Oregon