The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign appreciates this opportunity to testify in support of Assembly Bill 689, a proposal to allow for preferential voting in local nonpartisan elections. Giving local governments this option would enable them to become true laboratories of democracy if they choose. And giving voters the ability to rank candidates in order of preference would empower them and help reinvigorate our democracy in Wisconsin.

The Problem

We need to let the people decide. Just as campaign finance disparities and lopsided, gerrymandered districts serve to suppress competition and demoralize voters, so does the way ballots are cast. A vote should reflect a voter's true preference, yet our current system leaves many voters feeling trapped into voting for the lesser of two evils, fretting about casting a "wasted" vote or venting anger toward "spoiler" candidates. In the end, the democratic principle of majority rule is frustrated as winning candidates often are elected by a mere plurality of voters rather than by an actual majority. This breeds further voter disenchantment.

It need not be this way. Democratic countries like Australia, Great Britain and Ireland use preferential voting systems that more accurately reflect the will of the public. Several American communities use such systems for their local elections, and the Utah Republican Party uses preferential voting to nominate candidates for Congress. The system eliminates "wasted" votes and "spoiler" candidates, discourages negative campaigning, and saves taxpayer money all at the same time.

How it Works

Preferential or free-choice voting systems such as Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) ask voters to rank candidates in order of preference. Whenever there are three or more candidates for an office or seat to be filled at an election, voters are asked to rank the candidates in order of preference. In cases where there is no initial majority winner, a runoff recount can be conducted without a new election to determine which candidate is actually preferred by a majority of voters. Instead of just casting one vote for one candidate, voters rank the candidates as their first choice, second choice, third choice and so on. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated. The second-choice votes from these ballots are then redistributed to the other candidates. The ballots are recounted, and candidates are eliminated in this fashion until a winner emerges with a majority of the vote.

Strengths of Preferential Voting

Preferential voting has several advantages over Wisconsin's current system of voting. It:

• Ensures the winner has the support of the majority of voters. Currently, candidates can be elected with less than 50 percent of the vote, leaving doubt as to whether they have a mandate for their policies.

• Allows more candidates to get involved in races without being accused of being "spoilers." Preferential voting not only gives voters more freedom to choose, it also eliminates the "wasted vote" dilemma many voters agonize over.

• Discourages negative campaigning. To win, candidates need to get some second and third place votes, as well as first place votes. They'll be less likely to attack their opponents if they need support from their opponents' voters.

• Saves money. Preferential voting eliminates the need for primary elections. Fewer elections, less cost to taxpayers.

• Honors the independence of Wisconsin voters. Currently, the large ranks of independent voters are not allowed to "cross over" in primary elections - that is, vote for one party's candidate for one office and another party's candidate in a different race - because Wisconsin does not have truly open primary elections. This limitation on a voter's freedom to choose does not exist with preferential voting.

Too many voters feel forced to hold their noses and vote for the lesser of evils at election time. That need not happen. Preferential voting has great potential to reinvigorate democracy, reduce voter cynicism and thereby boost sagging voter confidence in elections. Wisconsin should at the very least experiment with it. The Democracy Campaign supports AB 689 and believes that it is a vital step towards rebuilding democracy in Wisconsin.