SNEK POLICY
Ranked Choice for President
Electing one President is different from electing a legislature. SNEK’s current preference is ranked-choice voting because it gives voters more meaningful choices while still producing one winner.
Rank the candidates
Voters should be able to rank presidential candidates in order of preference. If one candidate wins a majority of first-choice votes, the election is over. If not, the lowest candidate is eliminated and ballots move to each voter’s next available choice until one candidate has majority support among the remaining ballots.
Why SNEK prefers it
A voter should be able to support a smaller party or independent candidate without having to calculate whether that choice will indirectly help elect the candidate they like least.
Presidential ballot access should follow the same reasonable standards for established parties, new parties, and independents.
One question remains open
SNEK has not yet adopted a final position on whether ranked-choice voting should operate inside the existing state and Electoral College structure or eventually replace it with a nationwide ranked popular vote.
The mechanism remains open to evidence and constitutional review. The goal is meaningful voter choice and broad support for the person who ultimately becomes President.
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Why SNEK thinks this
A presidential election selects one person, so SNEK wants voters to be able to support their actual first choice without feeling that doing so indirectly helps the candidate they like least. Ranked-choice voting is the current preferred mechanism because it preserves one winner while allowing broader expression of voter preference.
How it would work
Voters would rank candidates in order of preference. If a candidate wins a majority of first-choice votes, the election is complete. If nobody does, the lowest candidate is eliminated and those ballots move to each voter’s next remaining choice until one candidate has majority support among the remaining ballots. Ballot access should use reasonable standards applied fairly to established parties, new parties, and independents.
Where we’re flexible or still working it out
One major question remains open: whether presidential ranked-choice voting should operate inside the existing state and Electoral College structure or eventually be paired with a constitutional change toward a nationwide ranked popular vote. SNEK has not finalized that question and does not want to pretend the constitutional mechanics are already settled.
Related SNEK policies
Political Competition and Representation • Public Office Should Not Be a Lifetime Career