New Jersey primary won with under 30% of the vote
New Jersey held its congressional primary elections on June 2, and the winners of several crowded races did not secure a majority of the vote. In the 12th Congressional District, for instance, the Democratic nominee had support from just 28% of primary voters – and is now all but guaranteed to win the general election for this safe blue seat.
The problem is New Jersey’s choose-one election method, in which more choice can lead to less representative outcomes. Ranked choice voting (RCV) would solve that problem, giving voters more power and ensuring nominees have majority support.
When multiple candidates run in a choose-one election, winners can emerge without majority support. Crowded primaries are especially common in races with retiring incumbents, or when a party believes it has a strong chance of flipping a seat. This was the case in New Jersey’s safe blue 12th District, where 13 Democrats ran to succeed retiring incumbent Bonnie Watson Coleman.
New Jersey 12th District Democratic…