GRAY TELEVISION (WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- “When you make voting more complicated there will be negative consequences,” said Professor Jason McDaniel of San Francisco State University.
Pointing to years of research, McDaniel says, where it’s newly implemented, he expects to see ballot errors and an initial drop in voter attendance and minority representation at the polls.
“My take on ranked-choice voting is that the claims, the hoped-for sort of benefits are somewhat exaggerated,” said McDaniel. “I think if we look to our electoral system to change our political problems without thinking about the negative effect it can have on voters, I think that’s a bad way to go.”
Looking at historical election system trends, McDaniel says complete national acceptance of ranked-choice voting appears unlikely.