As Minneapolis and Saint Paul wait for results of their elections for mayor, a top analyst points to significant problems with rank-choice voting that Minnesota’s two largest cities are using this year. Carleton College political science Professor Steven Schier says ranked choice voting works best when there are relatively few candidates with clear partisan divisions — not the case in either Minneapolis or Saint Paul. He says that system of voting also makes strategies more difficult for candidates. “They can’t really go after other candidates very effectively because they’re always hoping to get second or third choices from the voters of other candidates,” he says.
Schier predicts the shortcomings of ranked-choice voting will not be lost on state lawmakers. He says, “I think there’s very little likelihood that this will be adopted at the state level, or by any other state.”
More in this interview with MNN’s Bill Werner: