Can you tell us about The Center for Election Science and why you founded it?

The Center for Election Science was founded to make sure we can all cast a meaningful vote that expresses our desires as a voter. We believe our vote must lead to a result that actually represents our interests. We move towards our goal through research, education, and direct action to change the way we vote.

What is plurality voting?

Plurality voting is a single-winner voting method that has you select one candidate on a ballot. The candidate with the most votes wins. While simple and ubiquitous, this voting method notoriously causes vote splitting between candidates, leads to partisan winners, and heightens the barrier to entry for third parties and independents.

What is approval voting? Why is it a better alternative to the way we currently vote?

Approval voting is a single-winner voting method that has you select (not rank) as many candidates as you want on a ballot. The candidate selected the most wins. By removing the “vote-for-one” restriction, this method tends to favor more moderate winners, is highly resistant to vote splitting, and gives third parties and independents a much more accurate reflection of support.

Reflecting on the general election in 2016, how might approval voting have changed that landscape?

A method like approval voting would have likely changed the Republican nominee to someone more moderate and (without fears of vote splitting) encouraged more candidates in the Democratic primary. The general election would surely have seen more candidates with the spoiler fear removed. Debates would be forced to include more candidates as candidate support would be more accurately reflected. We would have likely seen a multi-candidate competition settling on a moderate winner appealing to the broadest portion of the electorate.

Where do you see the most opposition in your goals to change the voting process?

Our biggest opposition comes from those in elected office. They have the most to lose since they were elected under the current system. Those enjoying money in politics will likely not favor a voting method that encourages more competition. The competition that approval voting would provide lowers the confidence of a bet in the form of a political contribution or PAC spending.

An election overhaul seems like a big undertaking; what do you think it would take to implement real change?

Historically, ballot initiatives are the way to go for changing the voting method. You show a proof of concept in a city and build from there.

Do you have any specific goals for upcoming elections?

We have plans in 2018 to help a city change the way they elect their mayor. This city would be the first city in the United States to use approval voting if the ballot initiative passes. We plan to then replicate this and spread to multiple cities.

What can people do to get involved and help to further these goals?People can help in a number of ways. Step one is learning more about how voting methods work by following us on social media, visiting our site, and subscribing to our newsletter. Beyond that, the easiest way people can help is by talking about how bad our current voting method, plurality voting, is. We use the worst voting method there is to elect people who then make extremely important decisions on how we live our lives.The clearer that is to the public, the easier it is for reform.