Rooks: Fusion voting challenges parties to deliver
Douglas Rooks
Last week, I outlined the limits of the open primary and ranked-choice voting in reforming our electoral system. Now, I’ll present an alternative that would achieve the goals of these better-known measures, while reinvigorating our moribund political parties – an equally vital task.
It’s called fusion voting.
To my knowledge, only one state – Vermont – has ever used the system fully, and it was abandoned long ago. Yet chronic discontent with our political parties, in Maine and the nation – and frustration over government action, and inaction – suggests it’s time for another look.
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Douglas Rooks: Fusion voting challenges parties to deliver
By Douglas Rooks
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Open primaries and ranked-choice voting offer reforms for our electoral system, but they have their limits. There’s an alternative that would achieve the goals of these better-known measures, while reinvigorating our moribund political parties an equally vital task.
It’s called fusion voting.
To my knowledge, only one state Vermont has ever used the system fully, and it was abandoned long ago. Yet chronic discontent with our political parties, in Maine and the nation and frustration over government action, and inaction suggests it’s time for another look.
Courtesy Of Riehle Family Governor Phil Hoff signing the billboard bill into law. Ted Riehle is standing on the right. Then-representative Tom Salmon, House minority leader, is standing on the left. If you ve lived or traveled outside of Vermont, you ve surely seen plenty of billboards. These giant signs appear in red states and blue states alike, towering over farm fields and assailing passersby from atop skyscrapers. Today they re often digital and animated to catch your eye. But you won t find any such outdoor advertisements in Vermont the Green Mountain State outlawed them in 1968, one of only four states in the U.S. to do so; the others are Hawaii, Alaska and Maine.
For nearly two months after the 2020 election, Ronnie Thomas proudly flew a flag outside his Route 100 apartment building near the Stowe/Waterbury town line — supporting his preferred candidate,