9: Allen West on efforts to enact ‘Ranked Choice Voting’ in Arizona

Grand Canyon Times

Former Congressman Lt. Col. Allen West (ret.), executive director of the American Constitutional Rights Union (ACRU), joined the Grand Canyon Times Podcast to discuss Arizona’s political climate and efforts to enact “Ranked Choice Voting” (RCV) in the state.

West represented Florida’s 22nd Congressional District from 2011 to 2013. He served in the U.S. Army for 22 years, during which time he received a Bronze Star, three Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals, one with valor device, and a Valorous Unit Award.

Following is a summary of this episode:

Arizona’s Political Climate:

• State's Political Shift: Allen West mentions that Arizona, traditionally a red state, has been shifting politically. He attributes this shift to the influx of people from California and other states who bring their political ideologies with them. He believes that these individuals are leaving their states due to failed policies but are inadvertently turning Arizona purple by voting for similar policies in their new state.

• Republican Party's Response: West criticizes the Republican Party in Arizona for not being proactive in addressing this shift. He feels that the party has been complacent and hasn't effectively communicated its message to the new residents about why they should support conservative values and policies.

• 2020 Election: West briefly touches upon the 2020 election, suggesting that there were concerns about the integrity of the election process in Arizona. He believes that these concerns need to be addressed to ensure the trust of the electorate in future elections.

• Importance of Grassroots Movements: West emphasizes the importance of grassroots movements in Arizona to educate and inform the public about “conservative values.”

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) Proposals in Arizona:

• Definition: West describes RCV as a system that undermines representative democracy. In RCV, voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives a clear majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed based on the next preferences indicated by voters. This process continues until a candidate receives a majority.

• Comparison: West likens RCV to filling out a March Madness bracket, where once you make an initial selection, you have no further control over it.

• Concerns:

• West expresses concerns about being forced to rank candidates you might not support at all. He gives an example where if you had to rank candidates like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong, and Abraham Lincoln, you'd be forced to give some form of support to all, even if you didn't want to rank certain individuals.

• He also mentions that with RCV, you don't have individual control over subsequent ballots, making it difficult to audit the system.

• Current Usage: West notes that Alaska and Maine currently use RCV, but Alaska is trying to retract its use.

• Opposition's Argument: Some proponents of RCV argue that it reduces partisanship, but West counters by saying that if he knows who he wants to vote for, he shouldn't be forced to cast any type of electoral support for someone else he doesn't want to vote for.

• Identity Politics Connection: West believes that RCV is a form of “masquerading as a popular vote,” which is not what the founding fathers intended. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the intentions of the founding fathers and the balance they sought to achieve in the electoral system.