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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 4, 2018 03:15 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Harold A. English |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Exercising Your Right to Vote for No Candidate |
| Many voters decide to not vote for a variety of reasons including frustration with candidates or political ads that they or third parties choose to run. My legislation would allow a voter to exercise their right to vote for a candidate or no candidate at all. The candidate with the most votes would win the election but there would be more of an accurate measure of support by the voters in fulfilling their elected position. Think about this example. Scenario 1, 1000 eligible voters with 50% turnout or 500 voters. Candidate A gets 150 votes. Candidate B gets 50 votes. 300 voters don’t vote for either candidate. Candidate A wins by a 3-1 margin, 75% to 25% by 50 votes. Scenario 2, 1000 eligible voters with 50% turnout or 500 voters. Candidate A gets 150 votes. Candidate B gets 50 votes. The “No Candidate” button gets 300 votes. In this scenario, Candidate A gets 30% of total votes. Candidate B gets 10% of total votes. The “No Candidate” represents 60% of the vote for that elected position. Candidate A wins, but only with 30% support. Which scenario is more accurate? The no candidate button would only appear if there was at least one candidate eligible for the position on the ballot. Thank you for allowing voters to affirmatively select a candidate or no candidate to encourage all residents to exercise their right to vote. |