It used to be when we had a primary here in North Carolina and no candidate won 50% of the vote there was a runoff between the top 2 candidates.

Politicians frowned on runoffs, changed the rule: If a candidate got 40% of the vote, and led, he won. Then politicians changed the rule again: If a candidate got 30%, and led, he won. Lt Governor Mark Robinson got 32% in his primary – with no runoff he won.

Last election Alaska tried what’s called Ranked Choice Voting.

In the first non-partisan primary Sarah Palin led with 27% of the vote. That led to a second election between the top three candidates – where ranked choice voting decided the outcome. Voters stared at their ballots, ranked their choices: First, second, third. On election day Sarah Palin and Mary Peltola led. After the third candidate’s second choices were counted Peltola won with 51%.

Ranked Choice Voting is new, untested. There may be unseen flaws. It may be wiser to go back to old-fashioned runoffs. But ranked choice voting sure looks better than electing a candidate who gets 30% of the vote. It sounds like a better road.

Are we going to try it? It doesn’t look that way. The politicians gave us the 30% rule – and they’re sticking with it.