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Why do American ballots have more than two choices, when the news media has spent their time pretending there are only two? (programming.dev)

submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by CoderSupreme@programming.dev to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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When you get your ballot and there's 10 choices but all year the media pretends there's only two, that should tell you something's seriously broken

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[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It varies by state election rules, but for me all the downballot third party candidates are eliminated in the primaries.

All local and state elections on my ballot are: Democrat v Republican, Democrat v Democrat, or Unopposed.

[–] abbenm@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

but for me all the downballot third party candidates are eliminated in the primaries.

What do you mean? A primary would be where Democrats narrow their choices to one nominee, and Republicans do, and third parties do and so on. You seem to be suggesting that primaries filter out third party candidates? Maybe I'm just missing something but my understanding would be that a primary would just be a way that a third party chooses a single nominee, same as the first two parties.

[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Top-two mixed primary regardless of partisan affiliation.

One primary ballot held, all candidates declare a party 'preference', all votes counted together. Top two go onto the general election.

[–] abbenm@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

Understood, you are exactly right about that. What you've described filters out third parties. I think most conceptions of ranked choice voting by contrast would give them more of a chance, but granted that's not how it works everywhere.