Interesting article.

I spent six years in party politics in Canada. One of my attempts at “reform the system” was a ranked ballot. After seeing several nomination meetings lasting past midnight (several rounds of voting), I saw the ranked ballot as great means of expressing voter intention, and everyone getting home before 10:00 p.m.

Man, did I ever hit a brick wall!

I couldn’t understand why so many people, many with a university education, could not understand the ranked ballot. A good part of the problem were the few people who saw their chances of electoral success better with multiple rounds of voting (midnight or later, be damned!) and whipped up the supposed more neutral party members into a frenzy because “my faction” was trying to change the old ways, even though the old ways had not borne the results we were yearning for (in terms of better candidates).

I would add to your essay that the parties (or should I say the elites within these parties) instinctively do not want a ranked ballot in their internal elections. The kind of person capable of winning a plurality vote is more amendable to the party culture than the kind of person winning with a more advanced system.

Good luck on changing the world.