In Plurality voting, everyone casts a vote for their favored candidate and whomever has the most votes wins the election. This is perfect when only two candidates are running, but immediately falls flat when a 3rd (or more!) candidates are in the race.

This problem is called the “Spoiler Effect” because candidates with similar viewpoints end up spoiling eachothers chances to win. Their supporters split votes among them and everyone loses. In other words, even when the majority of voters are united on an issue, a minority can win the election.

Example – Mayoral Candidates divided on Bicycle Lane issue

This is a classic example of democracy failing it’s people. In practice we, as voters, are smart enough to vote tactically. If you know Jacob won’t win, you avoid “throwing away” your vote and just vote for Sarah instead. You’d be in a position where the smartest move is to vote for your second choice candidate. This is bad. Many voters are unwilling to vote tactically, and others simply don’t show up at the polls.

Sneaky Repercussions

In addition to the obvious problems of reducing voter turnout and potentially electing the wrong person, there is a more insidious and hidden problem. The Spoiler Effect creates an incentive system that prevents us from having the highest quality representatives.

Let me unpack that.

We want NYCs government to be filled with the best talent possible – the most motivated and honest people we can find. What we’ve learned from decades of capitalism and private enterprise is that a competitive market allows the best to rise to the surface. The Spoiler Effect directly opposes this because competition leads to vote splitting. Smart and talented citizens choose not to run for office, because they fear causing more harm than good.

Luckily for us, there is a solution. Join our grassroots movement to bring Ranked Choice Voting to New York, letting voters rank their preference in order. It’s time to upgrade our election system.