Walter Olson
Walter Olson

Voters in ten or so states this month turned down proposals to change the way elections are held, and reformers will be taking time to absorb the lessons. But I’d caution against treating this, as some headline writers have done, as a general rejection of ranked choice voting (RCV), which figured in many of the proposed ballot measures. 
Start by distinguishing between two kinds of reform: 1) RCV standing by itself, and 2) the ambitious kind of reform pioneered by Alaska, which abolishes party primaries and then employs RCV in a general election held among the top several finishers. I’ve outlined in several posts why I like the Alaska idea, but voters in five Western states declined, by narrow or wide margins, to adopt versions of it. Meanwhile, Alaska voters themselves appear to be narrowly voting to retain the reforms against a repeal attempt, if current trends hold.
Should we be surprised? For all the promise of the Alaska model as a way to reduce polarization and clear a path for candidates with cross-party support to make it onto the general election ballot, it can seem like a great leap into the unknown, to say nothing of complicated. It’s been road-tested only in one unusual state that isn’t very populous, and only for a few years. No one is quite sure how it will affect the role of political parties, or what strategies candidates may devise to get around the competitive forces the reform is meant to unleash. 
Add in communication and messaging problems, and it’s surprising how well the proposal did —losing by only a 49–51 margin in Montana, 47–53 in Nevada (where it had been on the ballot once before), and 46–54 in Colorado. It’s common for far-reaching reforms to lose at first and eventually start winning as designs are refined and voters grow more comfortable with the idea.  » Read More
https://www.cato.org/blog/setback-election-reformers