Ranked Choice vs. STAR Voting: Any Voting Reform in an An Anti-Democratic Storm

Author’s Note: This piece was written as a potential editorial for my local alternative paper, the Eugene Weekly, in response to several letters to the editor regarding a ballot measure to implement STAR Voting in local elections. Since it wasn’t run in time for the election, I share it here on the faith that it may still apply for similar efforts in other jurisdictions going forward.

Why do we keep waiting for the perfect solution before escaping a toxic situation?

In the last issue of Eugene Weekly, EW’s editors explained in response to a reader letter why they don’t endorse implementing STAR Voting for Mayor and City Council elections: because this system caused confusion and didn’t increase voter participation when they tried it for their 2018 “Best of Eugene” polls. But that’s only one year, with presumably less outreach and education than would be devoted to a proper legislative rollout. The fact that STAR Voting didn’t immediately rejuvenate the process in this case doesn’t prove it’s not worth trying, but rather that it may need more investment of time and faith to normalize and work out the kinks before achieving the intended results.

The leadership of public bodies — including legislatures and community publications like EW — entails following…