Voting Systems and Voter Sophistication

a supplement to

A People Who Thought They Could Govern Themselves

Prescriptions for an Ailing Body Politic

by  Peter Coyote

Some alternative voting systems could simplify run-offs and primaries.   Each has flaws (as does our own system), but since our last two Republican presidential candidates triumphed in spite of claiming only a minority of votes, some discussion of how we vote and how we protect the integrity of the vote are overdue.   It was for just such an analysis of voting systems that Lani Guinier, Bill Clinton’s nominee as assistant attorney general for civil rights, was dishonestly branded, misquoted, and eventually abandoned by her president for initiating this topic of discussion.

Some would suggest that “the people” are not sophisticated enough to understand such issues, but I remind them that in the early days of the 20th century Farmer’s Grange meetings were debating the gold standard and monetary policy in public meetings.   No clearly expressed idea is beyond the reach of our citizens’ understanding, and if you doubt that, look at the success the military has in training many young men and women with little education to run sophisticated and complicated systems.

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