Ranked Choice Voting 2/16/23

NO REASON WE DON'T GET IT DONE THIS YEAR.

>> Barry: ALL RIGHT.

WE WILL MOVE ON TO ANOTHER QUESTION FROM A VIEWER FROM ST. PETER.

THIS IS A QUESTION WE HAD NOT HAD PREVIOUSLY, AT LEAST I HAD NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK.

THIS IS AN ELECTION QUESTION.

THIS VIEWER IS A PROPONENT OF RANK CHOICE VOTING AND WANTS TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THE PANEL SUPPORTS RANK CHOICE VOTING AND WHETHER OR NOT IT'S SOMETHING THAT MIGHT SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY IN THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

REPRESENTATIVE SWEDZINSKI, LET'S START WITH YOU.

I THINK IT'S YOUR TURN.

TELL US ALL ABOUT RANK CHOICE VOTING AND WHETHER YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH IT AND WHAT YOU THINK THE PROSPECTS ARE.

>> I'M NOT POSITIVE.

HAVEN'T HEARD A LOT OF IT.

THE MOST I HAVE HEARD ABOUT RANK CHOICE VOTING IS WAITING ON THE ALASKA RESULTS.

I THINK THEY HAVE A SIMILAR PROGRAM UP IN ALASKA AND I'M NOT SURE IF THERE'S A COUPLE OTHER STATES AS WELL.

I THINK CITIES HAVE IT.

I'M GENERALLY -- I THINK WE SHOULD JUST, YOU KNOW -- I LIKE THE CURRENT PROGRAM AS FAR AS VOTING FOR SOMEONE, WHETHER HAVING A THIRD OR FOURTH OR FIFTH CHOICE DOWN THE LINE.

I THINK, YOU KNOW, I HATE TO SAY I'M AN EXPERT ON IT.

>> Barry: SENATOR FRENTZ, RANK CHOICE VOTING.

>> FIRST OF ALL, I THINK I KNOW THE CALLER ON CWD, AND I THINK I KNOW WHO THE RANK CHOICE VOTER IS IN ST. PETER AND THOSE ARE BOTH OF COURSE IN MY DISTRICT.

I'M NOT QUITE THERE YET ON RANK CHOICE VOTING.

I APPRECIATE ONE FEATURE.

I WATCHED ALASKA WHERE THEY HAD TO WAIT A COUPLE WEEKS.

THEY DID CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THERE'S AN INCENTIVE TO BUILD A MORE POSITIVE CAMPAIGN.

THERE'S VIRTUE IN THAT.

I'M WELL AWARE SOME PLACES ARE VERY HAPPY WITH IT.

I TAKE NOTHING AWAY FROM THOSE ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT SUCCEEDED UNDER RANK CHOICE VOTING.

I'M NOT SAYING THEY ARE NOT WORTHY, BUT THE CURRENT SYSTEM STRIKES ME AS MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD AND I APPRECIATE THE PROMPTNESS OF THE CURRENT SYSTEM.

I THINK VOTERS GET A PLUS WHEN THEY FIND OUT THE RESULTS OF THE ELECTION RELATIVELY SOON AFTER THEY VOTE.

IN MINNESOTA WHERE WE SOMETIMES HAVE THE HIGHEST VOTER TURNOUT IN THE NATION, WE GET THE RESULTS TO THE PEOPLE PRETTY QUICKLY, USUALLY BY AT LEAST EARLY MORNING YOU KNOW MOST OF THE RESULTS AND SO I WOULD PROBABLY GET IN TROUBLE FOR SAYING THIS.

I KNOW THE RANK CHOICE VOTING FOLKS ARE WATCHING.

AS AN ENTITY THEY ARE EXTREMELY MOTIVATED ON THE CAMPAIGN SIDE.

THEY WORK SUPER HARD FOR CANDIDATES THAT SUPPORT RANK CHOICE VOTING.

I RESPECT THAT.

IT'S NOT JUST DO YOU SUPPORT AN ISSUE, BUT HOW PASSIONATELY.

SO I GIVE THE RANK CHOICE VOTING PEOPLE A THUMBS UP ON THE ENTHUSIASM.

I'M JUST NOT QUITE THERE YET, AND HAPPY TO STAY OPEN-MINDED.

MAYBE THERE WILL BE DEVELOPMENTS IN RANK CHOICE VOTING THAT WILL SEEM MORE FAVORABLE OR SOME OF THE NEGATIVES WILL SEE LESS OF AN ISSUE.

STAY TUNED.

>> Barry: SENATOR MATTHEWS I'M GOING TO ASK YOU ABOUT RANK CHOICE VOTING AND STAY OUT OF AFFIRMATIVE OR NEGATIVE ON THESE ISSUES, BUT ONE FEATURE OF RANK CHOICE VOTING REQUIRES VOTERS TO KNOW HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT CANDIDATES, IF YOU HAVE 1, 2 OR 3 CANDIDATES, MAYBE IT'S NOT AS BIG A DEAL.

BUT IF YOU HAVE 3, 4 OR 5 CANDIDATES RUNNING AND YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO RANK THEM, ONE THEORETICAL PROBLEM, MAYBE IT'S A PROBLEM, MAYBE IT'S NOT IS THAT THE PARTICIPANTS IN A RANK CHOICE VOTING SCHEME, SCHEME IS THE WRONG WORD, FORMAT OR PLAN, PARTICIPANTS MAY KNOW HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT CANDIDATE NO.

1, CANDIDATE NO.

2, BUT THEY MAY NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT CANDIDATES 3, 4, 5 IN TERMS OF HOW THEY RANK, AND THERE'S AN ERR OF ARTIFICIALITY OF THAT THAT CAUSES ME TO WONDER DO WE KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS IN ELECTIONS IN GENERAL.

HAVING SAID THAT, THERE ARE COUNTERARGUMENTS, AND THE FLOOR IS YOURS ON RANK CHOICE VOTING.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?

>> SITTING ON THE ELECTIONS COMMITTEE, I HAVE SEEN THIS BILL COME THROUGH.

I'M NOT A SUPPORTER OF IF.

I THINK IT'S PROBLEMATIC IN A COUPLE OF RESPECTS.

YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE LIST OF CANDIDATES, AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE DOING TODAY IN THE CURRENT SYSTEM, AND THERE ARE RACES, MAYBE YOUR CITY COUNCIL RACES, COUNTY RACES, COUNTY COMMISSIONER, ET CETERA, SCHOOL BOARD.

WE ALREADY HAVE BALLOTS WHERE WE HAVE A LIST OF NAMES THAT COULD BE LARGER AND WE ARE VOTING FOR MULTIPLES AT ONE TIME.

IT ALWAYS IS GOOD PRACTICE TO TRY TO STUDY UP AND KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT EACH CANDIDATES.

BUT I AGREE WITH SENATOR FRENTZ, THE TIMING ASPECT IS VERY TROUBLING, AND THE FACT YOU HAVE TO EXPECT THESE TO TAKE DAYS, IF NOT WEEKS, AND IN THIS CURRENT POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT, WE SHOULD BE PUSHING TO TRY TO GO THE OTHER WAY WHEN ALL THE TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT WE HAVE IN OUR NATION WITH ALL THE WILLING VOLUNTEERS AND ELECTION JUDGES WE COULD TRAIN, THERE'S NO REASON THAT WE CAN'T HAVE A GOOD STRONG SECURE ELECTION AND EVERY VALUED VOTE CAST AND COUNTED IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIMED AND RANK CHOICE VOTING TAKES IT AWAY FROM THAT.

ALSO I FEEL IT'S TROUBLING ON THE ONE PERSON ONE VOTE EQUATION.

YOU WILL HAVE SOME PEOPLE WHERE THEY WILL VOTE FOR ONE PERSON AND THAT IS WHO THEIR VOTE IS COUNTED FOR.

OTHER PEOPLE WILL CAST A BALLOT AND YOU CAN VOTE FOR PERSON A UNLESS THAT ONE DOESN'T WORK OUT AND THEN YOU CAN HAVE THE VOTE CAST FOR PERSON B.

THEN WE GO DOWN TO C. INEQUALITY WITH HOW THAT GETS APPLIED IS TROUBLING TO ME.

IT MAKES ME VERY WARY BASED ON OUR CONSTITUTIONAL ONE PERSON ONE VOTE SYSTEM.

I'M NOT A FAN OF IT EITHER.

IT HAS BEEN MOVING THROUGH COMMITTEE.

I DON'T KNOW HOW FAR THE MAJORITY IS PLANNING TO TAKE IT, WHETHER THEY HAVE THE VOTES FOR IT.

A LOT OF GOOD IN OUR CURRENT SYSTEM.

WE COULD MAKE IT BETTER.