A Simple Change for a Major Improvement
Approval voting lets you say yes, or no, to every candidate rather than only letting you say yes to one. That’s it.
This simple change:
- Allows voters to vote their conscience
- Elects more representative candidates
- Cools down the political atmosphere
It’s a small change for major improvements. Approval voting removes the ‘spoiler effect’ or ‘voting for the lesser of two evils’, now letting you give your opinion on all candidates. Approval also encourages less divisive campaigning and empowers voters to better vote out a bad incumbent. But most importantly, it leads to higher voter happiness and more representative candidates.
Why We Need It
The largest voting block in the US is now independents, and if you include those who don’t vote, they become the largest. When you ask these people why they don’t vote you’ll hear one of two things: “My vote doesn’t matter” or “My voice won’t be heard”. Both of these statements point to deep dysfunction in our political system which cause the majority of people to feel disenfranchised. This is not what Abraham Lincoln had in mind when he said we are a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Approval voting returns your voice by increasing your ability to express your thoughts on all candidates and ensures the truly most representative candidate is elected. This means that polarizing, divisive candidates who only appeal to small portions of the population won’t get as many votes as candidates that seek to deliver for everyone.
Help Bring Approval Voting to Utah
You can help bring a better voting system to Utah! Get involved today.