Are We Looking at the First City to Make History with Approval Voting?

image
Created: 28 Aug, 2018
Updated: 17 Oct, 2022
2 min read

FARGO, N.D. - Fargo, North Dakota may soon make history. City voters will decide in November whether or not it will become the first jurisdiction in the US to adopt Approval Voting -- an alternative voting method that allows voters to choose as many candidates on the ballot as they want.

The nonpartisan group, Reform Fargo, submitted approximately 2,000 signatures to get Approval Voting on the November ballot, about 600 more than the group needed. The signatures were officially certified this week, marking another historic moment in election reform efforts in 2018.

"We're really excited. We worked really hard. We built from the ground up, and we're going to keep working at it to get it passed," said Jed Limke, founder of Reform Fargo.

Approval Voting is arguably the simplest of all the new voting methods being proposed in the US. Voters receive a ballot and they select or bubble in as many candidates as they approve of or wouldn't mind winning the election. The candidate with the most votes wins.

It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

Advocates say the reform completely eliminates the spoiler effect and strategic voting (commonly known as the “lesser-evil” mentality) that results in “vote splitting” under the choose-one voting method used in most elections in the US.

In other words, many voters don’t have to feel like they have to ditch their preferred candidate because voting for that person might cause the candidate they least want elected to win. Sound familiar?

This not only discourages voter participation, but candidate participation as well.

IVP Donate

“Our current voting method is the least constructive method of voting and the most common,” says former Fargo Mayor Bruce Furness.

The push to get Approval Voting on the November ballot began with a task force, on which Reform Fargo Founder Jed Limke served. The task force recommended Approval Voting to improve city elections, yet the City Commission refused to put the reform on the ballot.

Limke then formed Reform Fargo, and with the help of about 30 volunteers working at community events to educate voters on the benefits of Approval Voting, the group was able to garner enough support to let voters have a say in November.

Aaron Hamlin, executive director of The Center for Election Science (CES), says he is optimistic Fargo will be the first jurisdiction in the US to adopt Approval Voting. His organization studies and advocates for better voting methods -- chief among them being this reform.

“Approval voting holds a nice balance of favoring candidates that strike the tune of the people while also making sure new voices are heard. That balance is good because we need thought from all sides to move forward. Like a market, democracy necessitates free entry of ideas so everyone has a chance to succeed or fail. Approval voting can help us get there,” says Hamlin.

Fargo citizens will vote on Approval Voting on November 6.

Photo Credit: Jacob Boomsma / shutterstock.com

Latest articles

Image of the White House.
LISTEN: Running for President as an Independent -- How it Really Works
Think about the leaders with bold visions you’ve wanted to vote for, the ones with the best ideas who have the potential to transform American politics. Most never stand a chance, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum....
30 Apr, 2025
-
1 min read
Cnannabis and CBD oil
Sen. Padilla Pushes, But DEA Nominee Terry Cole Won’t Commit to Cannabis Rescheduling
During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 30, DEA administrator nominee Terrance Cole declined to commit to the proposed federal rescheduling of cannabis, leaving a critical policy question unresolved as the process transitions to new leadership under the Trump administration....
30 Apr, 2025
-
3 min read
Nurse standing in front of a backdrop that shows a blank map of California and a blank map of Mexico.
Cross-Border Healthcare: A Complex Problem Meets a Bipartisan Solution
While healthcare in California has seen massive investments in coverage and access, these gains often mean little to border residents who split time, family, or even residency across two countries...
30 Apr, 2025
-
2 min read