An independent candidate for Governor is hoping Wisconsin adopts a voting system here that was used this year in Maine. Maine voters experimented with ranked choice voting. The voter picks a top choice, followed by second and so on. If the top choice doesn't get a majority of votes, then his or her vote goes to the second choice until someone gets a majority of votes.
Dr. Margaret Turnbull says the system is called ranked choice which gives voters more input on the candidates they prefer....
"....In that way you don't risk feeling like you've wasted your vote if you vote for someone who doesn't quite have as much name recognition but you like them a lot...."
She says voters in Maine moved to ranked choice voting largely in a rebuttal to the incumbent Governor who was term limited, but never received a majority of support. But she says it wasn't easy...
"....It was a lot of work. They had to fight against their own legislature and Governor to get it done because it does open up the political scene to alternative parties, third parties and independent candidates. But Maine accomplished this and used it for their statewide primaries...."
Turnbull says Wisconsin also would face a tough uphill battle to open the system, given the dominance of Republicans and Democrats. She says an independent Governor could force the issue to be considered. Turnbull's Lieutenant Governor candidate is Will Losch of Rhinelander.
