In response to “Bullying won’t help the voters” (Aug. 23):

So nice to have the Wildcat back on newsstands! Welcome back!

[Thursday’s] editorial by Dan Desrochers, “Bullying won’t help the voters,” rightly focused on problems in the current presidential race. But it did not go far enough.

Dan could take one more step on the way to responsible journalism by pointing out that voters have more presidential choices than just the Democratic and Republican candidates. If you are sick and tired of the bullying, then do something to suck their power away.

While the two major political parties are throwing boatloads of cash into the media to sling mud, at least three other candidates are out there, struggling to gain even a mention that they are also in the race. Check out Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party, or Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party who served as Salt Lake City’s mayor, or Libertarian Gary Johnson.

The Wildcat could take one more step. Be a fresh new journalistic voice by calling for Instant Runoff Voting to replace the failed Winner Take All system we currently use. Under the IRV system, used by sports teams and inside some Republican clubs, voters rank order their choices (first, second, third…). If, after the first vote count, no candidate receives a clear majority, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated and all the voters who picked that one as their first choice get their first vote thrown out and their second choice counted instead. Those reapportioned votes are then tallied, and if there is still not a clear majority winner, the process repeats. It is fair, it costs nothing more, it eliminates the need for run-off contests, and it reflects voters’ true preferences.
Thanks for your work and best wishes for a successful semester!

— Mary DeCamp,
UA alumna