In most states, the person who gets the most votes in an election wins, a system known as "winner take all." But some states and localities are introducing needed reforms. State Rep. Josh Elliott, D-Hamden, recently introduced a bill in the General Assembly to establish ranked choice voting in Connecticut.



Instead of voting for a single candidate, voters rank candidates by their first, second, third choices, etc., for a given office. If no candidate wins a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. If that candidate was your first choice, then your second choice will be applied to the second round of counting and so on until a candidate wins a majority.



The system ensures that only a candidate with majority support (rather than a plurality) can win the election. This forces candidates to reach out beyond their base to form broader coalitions. Ranked choice voting allows more candidates to compete, gives voters more choice and offers third party candidates a fair shot. It can also lead to electing more diverse candidates. It is successful in 11 American cities and Maine just approved a bill to establish the system (except for presidential elections).



Better candidates and more choice are not magically going to happen without changing our electoral systems.



Brittany L. Stalsburg, East Haven



