What if We Used Final Five Voting in New York?

In recent years several states have been experimenting with some innovations in voting systems combining use of nonpartisan primaries with ranked choice voting in the general election. Both California and Washington have been doing it for a while and Alaska first tried it in 2022. In 2023 LWVNYS commissioned a committee to study whether we should support it's use in New York. To support the work of the state study committee, the Rochester League commissioned a study of what the effect would be in New York. 

In brief, it would have a big effect, eliminating a lot of primaries. That would mean that most important electoral contests would occur in November, which would probably mean more voters would participate. It would also enfranchise both the large number of unaffiliated voters and voters whose party isn't holding a primary when it's time to winnow down the field. You can read the report here.

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