What Andrew Yang and Bill Weld like. | Three Things Thursday
It’s a tough time for Americans right now.
Across the country, coronavirus continues to dominate our lives, and the economic impacts are causing even more stress for families already at the brink.
89% of Americans think another coronavirus stimulus bill is needed. Yet in Washington, talks over the stimulus bill are all but dead. (Even though bipartisan proposals, like one put forward by the Problem Solver Caucus, exist.)
Politics seem more important than people — than Americans and their livelihoods. Our politicians would rather win the next election than help the people they were already elected to represent.
It’s all about who gets credit. This is what happens when the doom loop takes hold.
Here are three things to think about this week.
It shouldn't take a bipartisan taskforce to ensure that all American votes are counted, but that's where we're at. Our partners at Issue One this week announced the launch of the Count Every Vote campaign, led by the National Council on Election Integrity, a bipartisan group of political, government, and civic leaders united around protecting the integrity of our elections. It's goal: simply to make sure that every vote is counted.
This week, former US Senators Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Bill Frist (R-TN) write in an op-ed for The Washington Post why Americans need to put country over party and ensure that every vote is counted. This election is critical, for a number of reasons, and it’s our duty as Americans to stand up and demand — not only for ourselves, but for friends, neighbors, and communities — that all of our voices are heard this election.
“Counting every vote is the American way to conduct an election, and the public understands that it’s going to take longer this year,” they write. “One poll this month found that 75 percent of Americans believe that it’s more important to count every vote than to determine the outcome quickly. Whether you’re a Republican, a Democrat or an independent — and regardless of which candidate you support — every American wants to know his or her ballot has been counted.”
In another bipartisan op-ed former presidential candidates, Democrat Andrew Yang and Republican Bill Weld, write about why ranked choice voting would revolutionize the presidential primary nominating process. Citing a paper from the Unite America Institute, they argue that ranked choice voting would give voters more power and say in the nominating process.
“While many might assume whoever wins a majority of votes in primary elections will win their party’s nomination, the reality is not so simple,” Yang and Weld write. “Instead, many voters are disenfranchised by the hurdles of in-person caucuses, millions are admonished against ‘wasting’ their votes, and delegates are awarded to candidates in a way that does not accurately reflect voter preferences.”
In an election year when over 4.5 million votes were wasted on candidates who dropped out, ranked choice voting has the potential to enfranchise voters and ensure their voices are heard. You can support ranked choice voting now, in both Alaska and Massachusetts, where ranked choice voting is on the ballot.
There’s a lot (A LOT) of information and commentary going on right now ahead of election day. The next 26 days will slog, and we will get overwhelmed. For quick commentary and insight, check out the new blog by our friends at The Fulcrum.
Election Dissection, as the blog’s called, is a close-to-real time analysis blog curated and written by 11 election experts and thought leaders, from now until every vote is counted and the presidential winner is determined. (See what we did there). It’s a worthwhile read, and a necessary one as we head towards a… chaotic election.