It should not seem radical to men and women of common sense that there should be a better way to bring minority faces to the Capitol than splintering communities into odd-shaped election districts. In that regard, I guess I am a radical - a radical patriot. President Clinton represents a minority of voters but is expected to speak for all of us. Likewise, close to half of the voters in the 103rd representative district have no voice in the Illinois House of Representatives. Because state Rep. Rick Winkel, R-Champaign, edged out Laurel Prussing in 1994, half of the voters in this district have had their tongues cut out as far as Springfield knows.
Preference voting allows voters to rank candidates on the ballot so fewer votes are wasted.
Suppose Elmo, Big Bird, Grover, Kermit and Ernie ran for the state legislature in a three-member district. The votes they received beyond the threshold would be distributed to second choice candidates. Suppose Elmo comes in dead last. My vote for Elmo would go to my second choice, say Ernie. Two advantages are immediately apparent.