© 2024 KLCC

KLCC
136 W 8th Ave
Eugene OR 97401
541-463-6000
klcc@klcc.org

Contact Us

FCC Applications
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
0000017b-98c7-d6d2-a7fb-9eefdbf90000KLCC News is covering many aspects of the 2016 General Election. View KLCC's election related stories below.

Measure Aims To Overhaul American Election System, Starting With Benton County

Brian Bull, National Archives, COP Paris

Election Day gripes have included, “I’m voting for the lesser of two evils” or “I’m only voting for this candidate to keep the other out of office.”  But as KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, a local ballot measure aims to fix this.  

Blair Bobier is one of the chief petitioners for Ballot Measure 2-100, which goes before Benton County voters this November.  Bobier says this would create “ranked choice” voting, which gives people more options and power than the current system. 

“People get to rank their candidates in order of preference instead of voting for just one candidate, you vote for your first preference, your second preference, your third preference," he explains.  "It means that you never have to choose between voting for the lesser of two evils or throwing your vote away on a candidate that you support but has no realistic chance of winning.” 

Bobier says had ranked choice voting been used in the 2000 presidential race between Al Gore and George W. Bush, Gore would’ve won because Ralph Nader supporters most likely had Gore as their second choice. 

As to what ranked choice proponents want to do should Benton County Measure 2-100 pass? 

"We’ll be asking the state of Oregon to fund implementation of the ranked choice voting because we see this basically as a pilot program for the rest of the state.” 

Backers say implementation could cost up to $200,000.  

Brian Bull is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, and remains a contributor to the KLCC news department. He began working with KLCC in June 2016.   In his 27+ years as a public media journalist, he's worked at NPR, Twin Cities Public Television, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Wisconsin Public Radio, and ideastream in Cleveland. His reporting has netted dozens of accolades, including four national Edward R. Murrow Awards (22 regional),  the Ohio Associated Press' Best Reporter Award, Best Radio Reporter from  the Native American Journalists Association, and the PRNDI/NEFE Award for Excellence in Consumer Finance Reporting.
Related Content