Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Who cares if Manchin and Sinema go Independent
Date:	12/13/2022 2:31:47 PM

They are still going to caucus with the Dems just like crazy Bernie.  Nothing changes.  She isn't even losing her committee assignments and Joe won't either if he goes Independent.  This is a cynical move on her part, and his as well if he goes that route, to try to keep in office.  Both know they will be primaried by left wing nuts and like Murkowski, will run third party when that happens.  It's a total joke.  Sadly for them though is they will not have ranked choice voting which is the only reason Murkowski won.

Name:	phil -	Reply
Subject:	Who cares if Manchin and Sinema go Independent
Date:	12/14/2022 9:55:18 AM

Speaking of ranked choice - I hope GA does not go that route.....

https://reason.com/2022/12/12/georgia-could-be-the-next-state-to-try-ranked-choice-voting/

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Who cares if Manchin and Sinema go Independent
Date:	12/14/2022 11:48:41 AM

This is why I voted against Raffensberger in the primary.  He is an idiot.  The best outcome of ranked choice voting is you get Democrats picking the GOP winner.  The worst is that a majority vote against one candidate but that candidate wins anyway.  

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	Nothing Wrong With Rank Voting
Date:	12/14/2022 11:25:05 PM (updated 12/14/2022 11:29:39 PM)

You don’t fully understand how rank voting would work in Georgia.

Here are the totals from Nov 8

DEM 1,946,117

REP 1,908,442

LIB 81,365

Rank would take the LIBertarian voters and assign to either the DEM or REP who the voter named as their next choice after the LIB candidate. That is basically how the winner was determined.

The Dem supporters voted for the DEM candidate and the REP voters did the same in the runoff.

The LIB voters did one of 2 things in the runoff…they stayed home which was the same as not naming a next choice. Or, the LIB voter went to the poll and voted for the candidate who would’ve been their first choice after the LIB candidate. Rank voting saves a lot of money and the result would probably be the same as a runoff.

This is different from Alaska where the top 4 primary candidates ran in the November election. The top two were REP and the third one was a DEM. Yes, the DEM voters determined the winner. But that would not be the case in Georgia. Don't confuuse Alaska Rank voting with Georgia Rank voting.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Everything Wrong With Rank Voting
Date:	12/15/2022 9:13:42 AM (updated 12/15/2022 9:18:10 AM)

I understand how it will work and once again the winner will be decided by someone outside their specific party.  In the case of GA it is Losertarians in state-wide races.  So instead of simply siphoning votes from the only truly viable candidates in a clearly lost cause, you now basically empower the loser's voters to choose the winner.  I say if they want that role they need to go back out to the polls in a runoff.  But they don't and the winner is decided by the candidate's primary supporters....the way it ought to be.  And not by voters who clearly preferred another candidate.  It's all BS.  Besides that, the GA legislature will never go for it so it is DOA.

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	Everything Wrong With Rank Voting
Date:	12/15/2022 10:50:14 AM

Only 2 states GA and LA have general election runoffs. Time for a change...winner take all or a lower threshold to declare a winner.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Everything Wrong With Rank Voting
Date:	12/15/2022 1:06:54 PM (updated 12/15/2022 1:15:04 PM)

I've got no problem with that approach and that has also been suggested using a 45% threshold.  At least under this approach these third party voters only get one vote.  Under what Reaffensberger proposed they get two votes and the rest of us only get one.  Stupid and wrong.

Once again, under that approach Losertarians can run and be the spolier by siphoning votes away for either the Democrat or Republican that actually has a chance of winning and that's life.  Losertarians in my experience lack common sense and would be better off voting for the candidate that most closely follows their views than wasting it on a third party loser that has no hope of winning.  These are usually cut off your nose to spite your face types that often get a winner that they detest more than the second place finisher that would have won had they not wasted their vote. Same goes with Independents that vote for a third party candidate......they often end up with the greater of the two evils and act like they are above the fray and high minded when in fact they are just useful idiots.

They think they are principled but in reality they are self destructive fools.  But they are free to be so in this great country of ours.