STAR Voting

For generations, most American elections have revolved around the same basic rule: voters select their favorite candidate and the candidate with the largest number of votes wins. In many elections, the winner wins over 50% of the vote. But in others—including four of the last eight Presidential elections—the winning candidate may be the choice of fewer than half the electorate, with some elected with 25% of voters, or even fewer.

In recent years, reformers have wondered whether there is a better way to conduct our elections—one that leads to a more representative outcome by better reflecting the preferences of voters. This May, Eugene voters will decide whether to adopt one such reform for local elections—STAR Voting, short for “Score then Automatic Runoff.” Under a STAR voting system, voters score candidates from zero stars (worst) up to 5 stars (best).

The first count identifies the two highest scoring candidates as the finalists. In the second count, each vote automatically goes to the finalist the voter scored higher. The finalist with the most votes wins.

Skeptics of voting reform often worry about the complexity of the proposed systems. They fear a lack of voter understanding will translate into lower turnout and, potentially, a less representative outcome.

In this forum, we’ll hear from a proponent of STAR Voting, as well as from the local League of Women Voters president, who will provide an overview of several additional voting reform efforts, including “Ranked Choice Voting” (RCV), which will be on the statewide ballot in November.  You’ll learn about these proposals at our meeting.