| League Of Women Voters Of Cape Ann | Gloucester Times |
Ranked choice voting would have saved Gloucester a lot of money in 2021. We would have skipped the primary and have had all six candidates on the final ballot in November. You vote for candidates in order of your preference.
Reward leaders who reject extremism
This year, so far, there are three candidates for mayor, so there will be a primary election in September to select two candidates for the final election. That will be an expensive day for Gloucester taxpayers. Ranked choice voting eliminates spoilers and strategic voting. It allows voters to support their favorite candidate without worrying that they might “throw their vote away,” or worse, split their votes with like‐minded voters and unintentionally help elect the candidate they like the least.
According to political journalist Mike Condray, “Alaska has shown a way to reward rather than punish leaders who reject extremism. That kind of change is desperately needed before more lives — or even our republic —are lost in a death spiral of escalating political warfare.”