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Paul Stancioff is a retired professor of physics at the University of Maine at Farmington.
I have encountered a number of people who are saying they won’t bother to vote because they don’t believe in “voting for the lesser of two evils.” What they are refusing to acknowledge is that they are in effect supporting the greater of two evils by not voting.
Yes, we live in a flawed democracy, but actually in Maine, we have a means of making it less flawed.
Ranked-choice voting was adopted because it provides a more accurate reflection of voter preferences. It is an opportunity to voice your honest preference without worrying about the effect of voting for a “spoiler.” If there is no clear majority (51 percent) on the first vote tally, the bottom candidates are eliminated one by one and all their voters’ second preferences are added to the tally. When any candidate achieves a majority, the race is declared.
The voters of Maine and Alaska have the unique privilege of using ranked-choice voting for Congress and for president.
There are five candidates for president on Maine’s ballot this November: Kamala Harris, Democrat; Donald Trump, Republican; Jill Stein, Green; Cornel West, Justice for All; and Chase Oliver, Libertarian. There is also a write-in option.
So here is your opportunity to vote your conscience: If you feel that neither Trump nor Harris deserves your vote, then vote for one of the other candidates or a write-in as your first choice. Then go down the line and put them in order of your preference. If you have one that you know would be a catastrophe and might win, leave that one off.
So what is the point when the presidential election is effectively between two contenders? It is a way of voicing your opinion that can make a difference. Perhaps not in the results of this particular election, but as a message to the major parties that you are not satisfied. And you are doing this without “wasting” a vote on a candidate that cannot win.
A similar tactic was actually used in this year’s Maine Democratic presidential primary. As a “protest” many people wrote in “uncommitted” as their first choice before putting Joe Biden (or perhaps a write-in) as their second choice. While it was obvious Biden would win, the fact that people did this made news. Their voices were heard.
Of course, if you think that it doesn’t matter who becomes our next president then go ahead and don’t vote. Just know that you may live to regret the fact that your non-vote may have helped the greater of two evils to win.