There is a possibility that the plurality win for electoral votes combined with The Goode/Johnson Duo could help an inefficient candidate win the 13 electoral votes and the overall election.
Goode and Johnson are gaining ground in a key battle ground state, VA, and David Allen believes this could cost Romney. Since the presidential election isn't a run off system, it won't be exactly like the 1991 LA Gubernatorial race, but a preferences dilemma could emerge. This time instead of intransitive preferences causing problems, it will be unknown preferences due to the plurality system within states for electoral votes.
According to recent polls, Goode and Johnson could secure over 2% of the vote in VA. With Obama currently leading Romney by 0.3-2.4%, this is pretty significant. One could argue that many voters within the 2% for Goode and Johnson rank Romney as their second choice over Obama. A 1.5% boost from Goode/Johnson to Romney could very well tip the VA electoral votes and further the overall presidential election. With a run off system, these preferences could be revealed and provide a more efficient outcome in the most important election as a US citizen.
Maybe LA has the right system with completely backwards, loony people?
1 comment:
The existence of an "extremist" or fringe candidate who could potentially spoil the chances of a more moderate candidate does not necessarily justify the shift to a run-off election system. Although many of Goode and Johnson's supporters would prefer Romney to Obama, their vote for these fringe candidates is neither wasted nor inefficient.
Rather, considering Downs's analysis of third-party candidates in a two-party system, conservative voters may obtain a more efficient long-term result if, by voting their true preferences, they threaten the existing party structure and force the Republican Party to accept some of their more extreme positions in future elections. The short-run inefficiency (Obama winning Virginia) could disappear in the long run if the Republican Party shifted its positions to more efficiently represent conservative preferences.
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