Election initiatives would help dial down extreme partisanship

In November, Montanans will vote on two constitutional initiatives that will improve how elections are conducted.  

CI126 creates an open primary system. All qualified candidates regardless of party will appear on one ballot, and voters choose a single candidate from that ballot. This system does not favor any party. It allows voters to choose the candidate who best represents their interests. The advantage is: we don't have to select a partisan ballot. Four candidates receiving the most votes advance to the general election. 

CI127 then requires that winning candidates receive at least 50% + 1 vote, ensuring those candidates have the support of a majority. Without this requirement, as in current elections with more than two candidates on the ballot, winning candidates may receive significantly less than 50% of the vote, meaning the majority of voters did not support them. 

This is undemocratic. Requiring winning candidates to have at least 50%+1 votes means they must appeal to the majority, thereby forcing them to moderate any extreme positions. Candidates with extreme views are less likely to gain traction.

Together, these two initiatives have the potential to dial down the extreme partisanship and rhetoric plaguing our political system and select candidates more representative of the majority of voters.

– Caryl Cox, Polson