Ranked-choice voting gets its NYC debut

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Start spreading the news...New York City has successfully completed its first primary election using ranked-choice voting. Well, not exactly completed. The voting is over, but with no consensus winner—a candidate drawing more than 50% of the vote—the ranked-choice process now kicks in. Personally, I'm thrilled. If a candidate had clinched the election based on a majority of first-place votes, the nation would have missed out on the high-profile preview we're about to get on how RCV works. Admittedly, it does take some patience. We probably won't know who won NYC's Democratic primary for at least a couple of weeks, as the city's Board of Elections tabulates the votes via the RCV process ([link removed]) . But it will be fascinating to watch, and possibly a model for other cities and states considering adopting the system, which aims to give us better candidates and more representative leaders. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

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** If RCV can make it there, it can make it anywhere
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New York City voters made history yesterday when the Big Apple became the largest place in the country to use ranked-choice voting, a system in which voters select up to five candidates in order of preference. The system favors candidates with the largest base of support among the electorate, thus encouraging political moderation over extremism. Since there was no outright winner of yesterday's Democratic primary—defined as a candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote—it will take some time before a winner is announced. The city Board of Elections will not begin tabulating the ranked choices until June 29. ([link removed])
* — Candidate Eric Adams has emerged with a substantial lead, but fell well short of an outright victory in the race. With 82% of the results in, Adams was the first choice of 31.6% of those who voted in person or during the early voting period, followed by Maya Wiley with 22.3%, and Kathryn Garcia with 19.7%. Either would become the city's first female mayor. ([link removed])
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* — "We still believe we can help, but not as mayor and first lady." Former 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who came in a distant fourth place, was the first candidate to concede last night—a striking development after he had spent months as the dominant candidate in the race. ([link removed])
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* — What did New York voters think of RCV? Interviews with dozens of voters suggest that while there may be pockets of concern about the new system, the months of hand-wringing over mass voter confusion or disenfranchisement were way overblown. "It's real easy if people just learn how to read," said Debra Titus of Staten Island. Manhattan’s Debbie Fife concurred, adding, "For as opinionated of a city as we are, ranked-choice voting seemed to make sense." —The New York Times ([link removed])

MORE: Ryan Bort: How ranked-choice voting can (partially) fix democracy —Rolling Stone ([link removed])


** Weisman: With Senate vote, democracy itself has been politicized
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"As Democrats pledged to fight on, Sen. Tim Kaine was somber. A Capitol Police officer had reminded him, he said, that after the Sept. 11 attacks, lawmakers joined together on the Capitol steps and pledged to respond—as Americans. The officer lamented the bitter partisanship over the coronavirus pandemic, then the failed response to the attack on the Capitol, when a filibuster brought down a proposed commission to investigate the riot. 'This is more than just a vote on an issue,' Kaine said. 'If Congress won't act to protect the democracy, that sends a very powerful and dangerous signal.'" —Jonathan Weisman in ([link removed]) The New York Times ([link removed])

Jonathan Weisman is a congressional correspondent, journalist, and author of "(((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump."

MORE: Senate Republicans block debate on elections bill, dealing blow to Democrats' voting rights push —The Washington Post ([link removed])


** What's next in the insurrection investigation?
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Good question. Briefly last night, it appeared that the House would form a special select committee to probe the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol. But it turned out to be, well, fake news. "No, I did not make that announcement," Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said. "Somebody put out a false report." The culprit seems to be a Democratic source who told a number of reporters that Pelosi had announced to the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee her intent to form the investigative committee. Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill later clarified on Twitter, "Speaker Pelosi told members she plans to announce WHETHER she will create a select committee THIS WEEK. Her preference continues to be a bipartisan commission, which Senate Republicans are blocking." —The Hill ([link removed])

MORE: Will Trump supporters' election denialism cause another Jan. 6? —Vanity Fair ([link removed])


** Coons: A bipartisan infrastructure deal would be a boon for democracy
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"Passing a bipartisan infrastructure deal is not only key for our domestic economy but also vital in the larger contest with our global competitors. China and Russia are telling the world that democracy and capitalism are in decline and that their model of authoritarianism is superior at meeting the needs of their citizens. People in other countries are starting to believe it. We need to show citizens here at home—and around the globe—that our democracy can still deliver meaningful solutions." — ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Christopher Coons represents Delaware in the U.S. Senate.

MORE: White House digs in as infrastructure talks stall —The Hill ([link removed])
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** A Florida politician's...murder plot?
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It sounds crazy, but you read that right. In a Florida courtroom yesterday, Republican congressional candidate Anna Paulina Luna claimed that GOP rival William Braddock is conspiring with others to kill her. Braddock was allegedly recorded on a phone call saying a "Russian and Ukrainian hit squad" could kill her "for the good of the majority of the people." Luna, a military veteran and gun aficionado, has been endorsed in the 13th District by Rep. Matt Gaetz, whom she calls a "visible, committed, and outspoken leader in the fight for the heart of our constitutional republic." Braddock says, "This woman is off her rocker, and she does not need to be representing anyone." Another hearing in the case is scheduled for July 9. —ABC News ([link removed])


** Focus on the pandemic
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White House Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci is worried about a highly contagious new variant of the COVID-19 virus. First identified in India, the Delta variant now makes up about 20% of all new cases in the U.S., up from 10% two weeks ago. This follows a similar trajectory experienced by the United Kingdom, where Delta now accounts for 60% of new cases. "The Delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the U.S. to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19," Fauci said yesterday, urging Americans to get fully vaccinated to "crush the outbreak." ([link removed])
* — The dominator. Delta is the fastest and fittest coronavirus strain yet, and it will "pick off" the most vulnerable people, especially in places with low vaccination rates. It is "more efficient in the way it transmits between humans, and it will eventually find those vulnerable individuals who will become severely ill, have to be hospitalized, and potentially die," says Dr. Mike Ryan of the World Health Organization. ([link removed])
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* — Vaccines work...but only if you get them. "The effectiveness of the vaccines—in this case, two weeks after the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech—was 88% against Delta, and 93% against Alpha when dealing with symptomatic disease," Fauci said, citing a study. Unfortunately, U.S. vaccination rates have trailed off significantly, and the country likely won't hit President Biden's goal of 70% of American adults vaccinated by the Fourth of July. ([link removed])
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* — Delta is in 92 countries. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead for Covid, says the strain will continue to spread because "we don't yet have the vaccines in the right places to protect people's lives." The WHO is urging wealthy nations to donate vaccine doses. The Biden Administration has committed to sending 55 million doses to countries in need. —CNBC ([link removed])

MORE: G-7 summit of world leaders may have been COVID-19 superspreader event —Forbes ([link removed])


** Moore-Vissing, Clarke-De Reza, McNally & Townsend: We can learn from other countries about strengthening democracy
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"As we think about how to strengthen democracy at the local level, lessons from other countries can help us get out of our ruts and try new things. In particular, we see the value of investing in local people and collaborative processes that in turn enable increased trust and social capital." —Quixada Moore-Vissing, Sara Clarke-De Reza, Erin McNally & Mikayla Townsend in ([link removed]) The Fulcrum ([link removed])

Quixada Moore-Vissing, Sara Clarke-De Reza, Erin McNally, and Mikayla Townsend are with Public Agenda, a non-partisan, pro-democracy nonprofit.

MORE: 'The signs are there.' Is U.S. democracy on a dangerous trajectory? —The Christian Science Monitor ([link removed])

I wish we would quit talking about Trump. Let's put him in the past—where he belongs. Lifelong Republican here...never voted for Trump! —Fran W., Maryland

I have been a registered voter for 50 years, and until now, the system was just fine. The first presidential election I voted in was the 1972 election. I voted absentee because I was overseas serving my country, and there were no problems. Now, because of a sore loser, states are passing restrictive voting laws, and we have the For the People Act going through Congress. How I long for the good old days. —John C., Florida
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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Got feedback about THE TOPLINE? Send it to Melissa Amour, Managing Editor, at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
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