The Real Spoilers
By Tony Palmeri
November 7, 2004
[note: This op-ed was submitted to the Oshkosh Northwestern. They published
an edited
version.--Tony Palmeri
Since obtaining 9% of the vote in my attempt as a Green Party candidate to unseat
Gregg Underheim, I have been attacked as a “spoiler” by a small group
of Gordon Hintz supporters who arrogantly insist that my votes would have gone
to the Democrat. This is the same tired, bitter, and false malarkey trotted
out every time third party candidates step forward to challenge our sick political
system and the narrow choices it provides us.
My supporters are Greens, Independents, first time voters, Democrats, Republicans
and many others. Brian Poeschl, Paul Esslinger, Melanie Bloechl, and Bob Jungwirth
enthusiastically supported my candidacy. Had I not been in the race, a good
number of my supporters would have voted for Dan Carpenter or not voted. Neither
Hintz nor Underheim are entitled to these votes just because they are establishment
party candidates. We should applaud Palmeri and Carpenter voters for having
the courage to say “NO!” to politics as usual.
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For the majority of voters and non-voters, the choice between the establishment
party candidates is the choice between the “evil” and “lesser
evil.” Whenever a voter has an opportunity to vote for a third party
candidate that represents their hopes and values, the voter is told that
they are “wasting” their vote and that their favorite candidate
will “spoil” the election for one of the establishment candidates.
Millions of voters nation wide end up voting for something that they don’t
want because what they actually do want “can’t win.” Millions
more simply do not vote at all.
The solution CANNOT be to tell third party candidates to shut up or not
run for office. The solution CANNOT be to tell Palmeri and Carpenter voters
that they don’t have the right to vote for their favorite candidates.
These are unrealistic, totalitarian solutions that give us citizen apathy,
lack of meaningful choices at the polls, and politics as usual.
In this year’s race for the 54th assembly district, the spoilers
were not Palmeri and Carpenter giving voters real choices. The real spoiler
was the “plurality” voting method that allowed Underheim to
win the election even though a majority of voters (54%) chose other candidates.
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The solution is very simple. In any multiple-candidate race where the first-place
candidate does not receive more than 50% of the vote, there should be a runoff
election between the top two candidates. The runoff could take place two weeks
or a month later, and it would ensure that the winner goes to Madison with a
clear majority of votes. Many states and municipalities already use runoff voting.
An even better solution is Instant Runoff Voting (IRV). Also known as “rank
choice” voting, IRV allows voters to vote for their first, second, and
third choice candidates in one trip to the polls. If no candidate is the first
choice of at least 50% of the voters, IRV allows for a same day runoff. IRV
ensures that the winning candidate enjoys true support from the majority of
the voters and it eliminates the concern that a vote for a third party candidate
is “wasted.” Assembly Bill 911 would allow IRV in Wisconsin, yet neither
major party seems too motivated to see it pass. They’d rather see third
parties go away, which is NOT going to happen.
In addition to IRV, we also need reform of campaign financing to allow for a
“level playing field” between ALL candidates. Because it is almost
impossible for third party candidates to receive public financing, they are
at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to getting their message out to the
public unless they are independently wealthy.
The Democratic and Republican parties at various times have been outraged by
third party “stealing” of “their” votes. Yet rather than
reform our antiquated, unfair, and undemocratic election procedures, they choose
to attack third party and independent candidates as “spoilers.” The
truth is that the Republican and Democratic leadership feel they benefit from
the corrupt system in place, so they feel no great pressure to change it.
For those Oshkosh citizens taking nasty, cheap shots at Dan Carpenter and myself,
I urge you to become an activist to reform Wisconsin’s elections. Support
AB 911. The bill is stalled in committee and will not pass unless citizens demand
it.
It is impossible for independents and third parties to spoil a system that is
already spoiled. Instead of wasting valuable time and energy attacking thousands
of Palmeri and Carpenter supporters for exercising their democratic rights,
let’s start a real citizens’ movement to bring some necessary reforms
to our state. Absent such a movement, we will NEVER get reforms from the corporate
occupied legislatures in Madison and Washington.
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