STRATEGY TO MAKE THE USA ADOPT RANGE VOTING --------Warren D. Smith-------Nov 2004-----wds@math.temple.edu----- FIRST, I would like to get all the top 3 minor parties (Greens, Libertarians, and Constitutionalists) to AGREE to make a unified push for range voting. It is clear that no 3rd party has any chance under the present Plurality voting system. So their top priority must be to make the USA adopt a better voting system than plurality. Survival is the highest priority. You must do this thing or die. Because range voting is the best single-winner voting system, I would recommend unifying behind IT instead of some worse system. The US Constitution merely says there should be votes; it does not specify which system should be used. Thus, switching from plurality to range could be done by enacting state laws, passing state ballot propositions, or enacting federal laws, without need of a constitutional amendment (although I would ultimately recommend having one). Indeed, some states have, in previous times, used other voting systems, such as several Southern states once used the "Bucklin system" and Illinois previously used the "cumulative vote". SECOND, I believe the route most likely to work for me is to put propositions on the ballot in states (such as California) which allow them, saying "switch to range voting by the year X+5." However, just getting a range-proposition put on the ballot is not good enough. I did a poll of random voters with Doug Greene. In NY State we found that 70 voters (once range voting was briefly explained to them and they filled out a sample range ballot) preferred to stay with the present Plurality voting system, while 44 wanted to switch to Range Voting. So any such ballot proposition is gauranteed to lose if voters can only think about the issue for 1 minute. The only way it can win is if a great deal of media attention is devoted to voting systems, so that a lot of people think about it for a good deal longer than 1 minute. The only way that can happen is either (a) to acquire and use millions of dollars in advertising (perhaps a wealthy philanthropist like George Soros?) or (b) to get it on the ballot very early, way before the actual election, and then make it such an important issue that the media has to examine it heavily, even without you doing any advertising. also (c) I recommend wording it as a combined proposition both advocating range voting AND outlawing gerrymandering. That will make it more beneficial and more likely to pass. Probably all three will be necessary. It would also be good to have a web site www.rangevoting.org. THIRD, once range voting has been adopted by a few states, the rest of them hopefully will see that it works well, and the ball can get rolling for its further adoption in more states. Further, by that time I will hopefully have a book.