Let voters hear from all of the candidates

Many decry Howard Schultz’s recent entrance into the 2020 presidential race as an independent because he will be a potential “spoiler.”

Most Americans believe there are not enough voices in our political discourse, not too many. It is unfair to blame Schultz for trying to fill a huge void. It is not his fault we haven’t solved the “spoiler problem” since Ross Perot garnered 19 percent of the vote in 1992. There is a simple solution that has been implemented in many cities around the country and most recently in the state of Maine.

The solution is known as Ranked Choice Voting. It guarantees a majority winner in a single election so there cannot be a spoiler. When a voter casts his or her ballot, they rank the ballot: first, second, third, etc. After all the firstchoice votes are counted, if there is a candidate with a majority, she or he is declared the winner. If there is no majority, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated and those second choices are distributed to the remaining candidates. That continues until there is a majority.

It allows voters to express their votes for the candidate they like best without fear that they will inadvertently elect the candidate they liked the least. Voting against one’s least favorite candidate is harming our country.

So, let’s not deride Schultz or any other thirdparty candidates for adding a voice to the debate; instead, we need to change our voting system to allow more participation.

Dave Heller Rhinebeck Director, Ranked Choice NY