Eric Maskin: How Election Reform Can Improve US Politics
Dr. Eric Maskin
Professor of Economics and Mathematics at Harvard University and Advisory Board Member of Better Choices for Democracy
Dr. Eric Maskin, Nobel Economics laureate and Professor of Economics and Mathematics at Harvard University, gave a talk on October 8 at the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences titled “How Election Reform Can Improve U.S. Politics.” Dr. Maskin discussed the polarization and discontent rampant in our current system and how majority rule electoral reform can begin to tackle these problems. Dr. Maskin is a member of Better Choices’ academic advisory board, where he has made important contributions to the design of our Top Three + Head-to-Head electoral system.
During the talk, Dr. Maskin hit on five substantial points as to why majority rule systems—of which Top Three is one—can be instrumental in changing the narrative of U.S. politics today:
1) Majority rule ensures that the winning candidate has majority support
Under the current plurality system, candidates can win their contests without earning the support of a majority of voters. Contests are often decided narrowly, and it is not uncommon for a candidate to win their seat with 35-45% of the votes in that electorate. By contrast, a Top Three system where candidates must win both of their head-to-head matchups would ensure that the winning candidate is supported by a majority of voters.
2) There are no spoiler candidates in a Top Three system
Voters express preferences directly between candidates in each matchup and all votes are weighed equally. There is no vote splitting in a Top Three system because voters express their preference in three separate matchups. Voting for a third-party candidate will no longer siphon votes away from a major party candidate, and voters can express their true preferences without the fear that they will inadvertently help the candidate they like least.
3) Voters are given a wider set of candidates to choose from
Voters are given a broader set of viable choices in the general election. Candidates are incentivized to appeal broadly to the entire electorate, rather than a small, highly partisan, highly motivated base. Voters are incentivized to look beyond the “R” or the “D” next to a candidate’s name and instead focus on their policy positions and personal appeal.
4) Majority rule is not “gameable”
There is no incentive in a majority rule system to vote in a way that puts a candidate you dislike ahead of a candidate that is preferred. In other words, there is no incentive to vote strategically.
5) The winner will be someone who best represents the median preferences of voters rather than catering to the most extreme
The candidate with the broadest appeal and who is able to earn the support of a majority of voters will be the one who wins both of their head-to-head matchups and is therefore declared the winner. Candidates are rewarded for reaching out beyond their strong partisan base to earn majority support across partisan lines.
Dr. Maskin’s full talk was recorded and will be available publicly in the coming weeks. Until then, read more about Top Three and why it is the reform our country needs at this moment, try our poll or create your own, and take action at https://www.betterchoices.vote/top3.
