Kanye West is the Poster Child for Our Need to Fix an Easily Manipulated Voting System

image
John E PalmerJohn E Palmer
Published: 16 Aug, 2020
3 min read

The election shenanigans surrounding Kanye West should be the poster-child for our need to fix an easily-manipulated and broken voting system. 

Soon after the revelation that the GOP had its operatives collecting signatures for the famous rap star, Kanye himself admitted that his “candidacy” for president was all about siphoning votes from Joe Biden. Experts opined that this GOP strategy was to offer up Kanye as an alternative to black voters and others who would otherwise vote Biden in high percentages.

The Jill Stein “spoiler” example from 2016 looms large in the minds of major party bosses on both sides. As the nominee for the Green Party in 2016, Ms. Stein was able—with some Russian social media “support,” said Robert Mueller—to garner more votes in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania than Trump’s margin of victory over Hillary Clinton in each of those states. Many claim that it cost Clinton the presidency. 

Ms. Stein was a legitimate and good-faith candidate. Kanye, on the other hand, is a fake candidate without a campaign. He’s at square one. For dark money and the Russians to support his calculated spoiler effort, the GOP would need to assist. And they have--their surreptitious ballot-qualifying work in states such as Wisconsin and Ohio for Kanye has been widely and credibly reported.

Sadly, Kanye’s willingness to shill for Trump, and the GOP’s willingness to help him are not surprising. And the Democrats pull this crap, too. See recent reports that the Democratic party spent $5 million of dark money to “support” Republican Kris Kobach’s primary run, thinking he’d be an easier opponent in November. 

Both major parties game the system, with party bosses engaging in win-at-all-costs behavior that would make their mothers blush.

What is surprising however, is that Americans continue to tolerate a system that invites this bad behavior. With one exception, states award their electoral votes for president based on the most votes—no majority required. This “plurality winners” approach makes third choices problematic, and invites this sort of mayhem.

In the 2016 presidential race, there were 14 states where the “winner” had less than 50% of the votes. That’s 14 states where a majority voted for a candidate that didn’t win. Those choosing candidates outside the two major parties in those states may have had adverse consequences for their vote.

The exception is Maine. Often a maverick, Maine has passed ranked-choice voting for its congressional races and for president. In those races, if no candidate receives a majority on the first tally of votes, an instant runoff ensues based upon voters’ rankings. If a voter’s first choice candidate is eliminated, their vote transfers to their next choice. The instant-runoff process repeats until a candidate wins with a majority.

IVP Donate

The GOP’s “Kanye-as-spoiler” shenanigans cannot work in Maine.  Russian “support” of the Green Party candidate to help Trump cannot work in Maine.  The spoiler possibility is gone.

Most importantly, Mainers can vote outside the major parties without worry that their vote will help the candidate that they most oppose.    

Maine has moved to a system where greater choice is possible. Other states can, too.

You Might Also Like

Will the Texas Republican Party be Successful Where the Hawaiian Democratic Party Failed?
Will the Texas Republican Party be Successful Where the Hawaiian Democratic Party Failed?
The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) is suing Secretary of State Jane Nelson in an effort to close the state’s primary elections to party members only – a move that the Democratic Party of Hawaii (DPH) tried back in 2013 in its state and failed. ...
05 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read
Supreme Court building.
Retired Attorney Takes Voting Rights Case All the Way to the Supreme Court -- By Himself
The next big voting rights case the Supreme Court of the United States could consider wasn’t filed by the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, Common Cause, or another household name when it comes to voter rights. ...
09 Sep, 2025
-
5 min read
congress flag
Poll: 82% of Americans Want Redistricting Done by Independent Commission, Not Politicians
There may be no greater indication that voters are not being listened to in the escalating redistricting war between the Republican and Democratic Parties than a new poll from NBC News that shows 8-in-10 Americans want the parties to stop....
10 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read