election reform

Former independent candidate for President, John Anderson, recently published an op-ed in the Christian Science Monitor calling for Instant Run-off voting.

Anderson, who was regarded by some as a "spoiler" in Ronald Reagan's defeat of Jimmy Carter in 1980, lays out the basic problem with the current system of elections in the United States:

General elections should be a marketplace of innovative ideas, and independent and third-party candidates can prevent them from becoming a showcase for an overly narrow ideological duopoly. Yet such candidates are pilloried for trying to break the red-blue grip and add a fresh voice to the debate.

It is unfortunate that independent candidates must face these attacks when about one-third of Americans are not registered with a major party. Throw in their distorted nomination process, and it becomes painfully obvious why so many people feel frustrated with electoral politics.