I believe we need change to our democratic systems. Over the past few years, our top-two system has been shown to have some flaws. I think we are due for an upgrade.

Ranked-choice voting is one avenue to fairer, more democratic elections.

With ranked-choice voting, voters can rank candidates in the order they like, and the winning candidate will have to have the support of a broad coalition of voters. This means Washingtonians will fell better represented by their representatives.

Evidence shows that when voters can rank candidates, they elect lawmakers of more diverse backgrounds with more diverse views.

Ranked-choice voting lets voters cast an honest vote, without having to worry about whether their favorite candidate is “electable.” The benefit of this is that independent and minor party candidates will have a fair shot.

A final benefit of ranked-choice voting is that it can be used to combine the primary and general election into one more efficient, higher-turnout election in November. This saves money and gives more voters more say in the outcome.

This is why I think ranked-choice voting makes sense for Washington, and it’s why I support King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay’s efforts to bring it to our county.

Diane Gordon

Mercer Island