I really enjoyed this post, especially the implication that the Condorcet criterion only makes sense in the presence of an adequate candidate selection system. Even aside from process and bureaucracy for getting on the ballot, I wonder if using different voting systems for primary vs general elections might make a difference. Like, maybe approval voting for a party primary but ranked choice for the general?
I’ve been thinking more about this lately, since my state just voted against a ballot measure to switch to ranked choice voting from FPTP. Everyone I know is kinda horrified by that, but I assume it mostly reflects most people not having any idea what it’s about, why they should care, or how to evaluate the arguments for and against that people published.
I’ve been thinking: couldn’t we “essentially” get rid of the two party system, without any voting reform, by having sub-parties be more of a thing? Like how the “tea party” emerged as a type of republican. Why isn’t the green party just a type of Democrat? Don’t try to run a third party candidate; instead, third parties should try to get their candidates to be the candidate of choice for one of the two major parties. The green party could have its caucuses early and send its candidates to the democratic caucuses. Stuff like that.
If things progressed in this direction, the major parties would become coalitions of minor parties. Those coalitions could shift over time.
I think that’s essentially what we had in the mid-1900s, at least in the form of party regional differences, like the conservative Southern Democrats. I do think it worked much better, since the idea of compromise and negotiation with people you disagree with seemed much easier and less tribal then than now. The Republicans only started becoming consistently conservative after the Civil Rights Act, and more so after 1994 when they found that having a single national platform won them a lot of House and Senate seats. Message unity made it a heck of a lot easier and cheaper to reach people, especially pre-internet.
As far as shifting towards coalition parties, I think that would only work if 1) we find ways to make party affiliation less tribal in general, and 2) there is still some clear axis on which each party is unified and differentiated from the other (and presumably, those unified issues are the ones that would be pursued most strongly, and become the party’s de factor agenda).
Also: isn’t this basically what Bernie Sanders tried to do, an independent running as a Democratic primary candidate? And the general trend towards larger primary fields in presidential races? But of course, most candidate selection power is still out of voters’ hands.
Personally I’d like to see the democrats focus more on state and local offices, and the judiciary, instead to ceding so much to the republicans. That would help in promoting wider variety in the next generation of its leaders, and increase engagement without having to become more ideologically unified. And you know, actually talk about these kinds of difference in party composition style.
I really enjoyed this post, especially the implication that the Condorcet criterion only makes sense in the presence of an adequate candidate selection system. Even aside from process and bureaucracy for getting on the ballot, I wonder if using different voting systems for primary vs general elections might make a difference. Like, maybe approval voting for a party primary but ranked choice for the general?
I’ve been thinking more about this lately, since my state just voted against a ballot measure to switch to ranked choice voting from FPTP. Everyone I know is kinda horrified by that, but I assume it mostly reflects most people not having any idea what it’s about, why they should care, or how to evaluate the arguments for and against that people published.
I’ve been thinking: couldn’t we “essentially” get rid of the two party system, without any voting reform, by having sub-parties be more of a thing? Like how the “tea party” emerged as a type of republican. Why isn’t the green party just a type of Democrat? Don’t try to run a third party candidate; instead, third parties should try to get their candidates to be the candidate of choice for one of the two major parties. The green party could have its caucuses early and send its candidates to the democratic caucuses. Stuff like that.
If things progressed in this direction, the major parties would become coalitions of minor parties. Those coalitions could shift over time.
I think that’s essentially what we had in the mid-1900s, at least in the form of party regional differences, like the conservative Southern Democrats. I do think it worked much better, since the idea of compromise and negotiation with people you disagree with seemed much easier and less tribal then than now. The Republicans only started becoming consistently conservative after the Civil Rights Act, and more so after 1994 when they found that having a single national platform won them a lot of House and Senate seats. Message unity made it a heck of a lot easier and cheaper to reach people, especially pre-internet.
As far as shifting towards coalition parties, I think that would only work if 1) we find ways to make party affiliation less tribal in general, and 2) there is still some clear axis on which each party is unified and differentiated from the other (and presumably, those unified issues are the ones that would be pursued most strongly, and become the party’s de factor agenda).
Also: isn’t this basically what Bernie Sanders tried to do, an independent running as a Democratic primary candidate? And the general trend towards larger primary fields in presidential races? But of course, most candidate selection power is still out of voters’ hands.
Personally I’d like to see the democrats focus more on state and local offices, and the judiciary, instead to ceding so much to the republicans. That would help in promoting wider variety in the next generation of its leaders, and increase engagement without having to become more ideologically unified. And you know, actually talk about these kinds of difference in party composition style.