{"id":2316583,"date":"2024-07-31T10:35:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T14:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pr-op-peddles-ranked-choice-voting-methods-to-conservatives\/"},"modified":"2024-07-31T10:40:27","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T14:40:27","slug":"pr-op-peddles-ranked-choice-voting-methods-to-conservatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pr-op-peddles-ranked-choice-voting-methods-to-conservatives\/","title":{"rendered":"PR Op Peddles Ranked-Choice Voting Methods To Conservatives"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpr-op-peddles-ranked-choice-voting-methods-to-conservatives%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2316583&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A public \u2062affairs firm has\u2063 been enlisted by a major advocate of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/andrew-yang-has-commanding-lead-in-nyc-mayoral-race-poll-shows\/\" title=\"Andrew Yang Has Commanding Lead In NYC Mayoral Race, Poll Shows\">ranked-choice voting<\/a> (RCV) to promote a specific variation called &#8220;final five voting&#8221; to conservative audiences. The Institute for Political Innovation (IPI), founded by Katherine Gehl, argues that this method, which features the top five candidates in\u2063 a\u200d ranked \u200bgeneral election following an\u2064 open primary, could close the\u200d ideological divide between\u200c GOP voters and their representatives. The firm Baron Public Affairs, which \u2064specializes in center-right issues, is supporting IPI&#8217;s initiative, claiming that it\u200c could significantly strengthen the conservative movement.<\/p>\n<p>However, critics, such as Jason Snead from the Honest Elections Project and Scott Walter from the\u2063 Capital Research Center, \u2062express concerns that this push may be misleading conservatives. They argue that final\u2063 five voting is essentially a rebranding of RCV and that it primarily \u200cbenefits liberal interests. The broader implications of ranked-choice \u2062voting,\u2062 they assert, revolve around enhancing the influence of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lincoln-project-founder-used-donor-cash-to-shore-up-shoddy-finances\/\" title=\"Lincoln Project Founder Used Donor Cash to Shore Up Shoddy Finances\">wealthy liberal donors<\/a> in politics.<\/p>\n<p>Efforts to implement variations of RCV are ongoing across the United States, with Nevada set to vote on a related initiative in November. The article highlights the controversy surrounding the promotion \u200bof final five voting within conservative circles and the potential \u2062political ramifications for the GOP if the method\u200d is widely adopted.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A public affairs firm retained by one of the main groups behind the left&rsquo;s push to popularize ranked-choice voting methods is trying to market the scheme to conservatives&nbsp;by painting it as a fix to the &ldquo;ideological gap&rdquo; between GOP voters and their representatives, an invitation to a briefing on the issue suggests.<\/p>\n<p>The Institute for Political Innovation (IPI) pushes &ldquo;final five voting,&rdquo; a kind of ranked-choice voting &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/political-innovation.org\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pioneered<\/a>&rdquo; by IPI Founder Katherine Gehl that pits the top five candidates from an open primary against each other in a ranked general election. IPI&rsquo;s other priorities <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/institute-for-political-innovation-ipi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">include<\/a> plans to eliminate party primaries and replace Congress with a dystopian-sounding &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/political-innovation.org\/zero-basedrulemaking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">modern, model legislature<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Both of Gehl&rsquo;s groups, <a href=\"https:\/\/political-innovation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">IPI<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/political-party\/final-five-fund-inc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Final Five Fund<\/a>, appear to be headquartered in the same Chicago <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nvsos.gov\/SOSCandidateServices\/AnonymousAccess\/CEFDSearchUU\/ContributorDetails.aspx?o=FtOuEzyjwE3gBv8AVLudrw%253d%253d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">building<\/a> as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techandciviclife.org\/privacy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Center for Tech and Civic Life<\/a> (CTCL), which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/center-for-tech-and-civic-life\/\">used<\/a> more than <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/02\/how-red-states-can-hold-zuckbucks-group-legally-accountable-for-2020-election-meddling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$300 million<\/a> from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/zuck-bucks-2-0-gears-up-for-2024\/\" title=\"&quot;Zuck Bucks 2.0&quot; Gears up for 2024\">influence election administration<\/a> during the 2020 election. Many states have since <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/02\/how-red-states-can-hold-zuckbucks-group-legally-accountable-for-2020-election-meddling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">banned<\/a> private election funding.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Baron is proud to work with Katherine Gehl and the Institute for Political Innovation on final five voting,&rdquo; wrote Jonathan Baron, founder of the government and public relations <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/fara\/registrants\/G496\/lobbyists?cycle=2017\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">firm<\/a> that often covers center-right issues, in an email to The Federalist.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;IPI retains our firm as consultants in support of Final Five Voting.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s a terrific organization and an important initiative,&rdquo; he said in a follow-up email.<\/p>\n<p><strong>[READNEXT:[READNEXT:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/10\/31\/ranked-choice-voting-is-the-monster-under-the-bed-of-american-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ranked-Choice Voting Is The Monster Under The Bed Of American Elections<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Baron Public Affairs <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MichaelBars_\/status\/1815756352297353599\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">planned<\/a> a &ldquo;private briefing&rdquo; last week on &ldquo;Bridging the Ideological Divide: Congress and the People,&rdquo; according to an event invitation. The firm &ldquo;partnered&rdquo; with Echelon Insights, founded in part by Republican pollster <a href=\"https:\/\/echeloninsights.com\/about\/kristen-soltis-anderson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kristen Soltis Anderson<\/a>, to conduct a study on the &ldquo;significant ideological gap&rdquo; between Republican voters and Republicans in Congress. The briefing was planned to focus on the results of this study, according to the invitation, and to &ldquo;discuss&rdquo; how &ldquo;electoral reform&rdquo; can &ldquo;align elected officials with their Republican electorate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Baron advises the Institute for Political Innovation, the leading organization advancing Final Five Voting,&rdquo; the invitation reads.<\/p>\n<p>Baron Public Affairs recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baronpa.com\/library\/analysis-congressional-republicans-do-not-represent-republican-voters\/\">released<\/a> an analysis of the study called &ldquo;Congressional Republicans Do Not Represent  Republican Voters.&rdquo; The group admitted here that IPI &ldquo;sponsored&rdquo; its joint research with Echelon. To no surprise, the report recommended final five voting to help Republicans &ldquo;integrate populists,&rdquo; claiming the method &ldquo;promises to close the ideological distance between Republican voters and their elected Congressmen.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>IPI <a href=\"https:\/\/political-innovation.org\/final-five-voting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">insists<\/a> final five voting is not the same as RCV, because its model combines a top-five primary that doesn&rsquo;t use RCV with a general election that does.<\/p>\n<p>But <a href=\"https:\/\/capitalresearch.org\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Capital Research Center<\/a> President <a href=\"https:\/\/capitalresearch.org\/person\/swalter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Scott Walter<\/a> told The Federalist &ldquo;final five voting&rdquo; is just one of many nuanced terms for ranked choice voting systems.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s part of the scam. Having numerous names of things like &lsquo;top-four&rsquo; primary, &lsquo;final five,&rsquo; &lsquo;jungle primary,&rsquo; &lsquo;open primary,&rsquo; &lsquo;ranked choice voting,&rsquo; &lsquo;instant runoff,&rsquo;&rdquo; Walter said. &ldquo;This confuses people and makes it easier to get your way.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Baron published another, more lengthy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baronpa.com\/library\/conservative-perspectives-on-final-five-voting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> this spring called &ldquo;Visions for Victory: Conservative Perspectives on Final Five Voting.&rdquo; In email correspondence with the Federalist, Jonathan Baron said final five voting &ldquo;has the potential to significantly strengthen the conservative movement and its ability to secure policy outcomes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>Selling Ideas<\/h2>\n<p>Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project, called the suggestion that final five voting would help conservatives an &ldquo;alarming&rdquo; push to &ldquo;mislead the public.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Deep-pocketed liberal donors are going to great lengths to recruit conservative and Republican spokespeople for their ideas,&rdquo; Snead said. &ldquo;The effort is very clearly designed to create a perception that ranked-choice voting is bipartisan, when in fact, it is an idea that is intended to push politics to the left.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The broader RCV method, Snead added, is &ldquo;designed to give those very liberal mega-donors even more sway over American politics than they have right now.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trent England, executive director of Save Our States, said he thinks Baron&rsquo;s &ldquo;Visions for Victory&rdquo; report is &ldquo;just the beginning&rdquo; of a larger effort to push final five voting across the country before and after the November elections.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure we&rsquo;re going to see a lot more of this, because producing the report is just sort of creating the tools to then go out and lobby Republicans to support it,&rdquo; England said. &ldquo;This is just the beginning of a process of trying to sell this to Republican officials and activists.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>While Baron&rsquo;s &ldquo;Visions for Victory&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baronpa.com\/library\/conservative-perspectives-on-final-five-voting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> makes it seem like &ldquo;it&rsquo;s the sturdy Republicans who will win&rdquo; with final five voting, Walter said, advocates of the method say the same to every group.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Ranked choice voting advocates are selling it as all good things to all people,&rdquo; Walter said. &ldquo;&lsquo;Whatever your group is &mdash; Libertarians, anti-MAGA Republicans, conservative Republicans, Green Party &mdash; that&rsquo;s what it&rsquo;s going to help.&#8217;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But Democrats use RCV to &ldquo;shuffle the deck&rdquo; in places where it could raise their chances at victory, according to England.<\/p>\n<p>When The Federalist asked Baron how many Republican and Democrat politicians the group has spoken to about final five voting, whether it is advancing final five voting on a state or federal level, and if other groups are making similar efforts, the group did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>The Federalist also asked Jonathan Baron how much IPI pays the group and when their working relationship began. He refused to answer, merely saying the group&rsquo;s work &ldquo;has focused on research and analysis, informed in part by conversations with scholars and thought leaders.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>Spreading Influence<\/h2>\n<p>Efforts to implement different forms of RCV like final five voting have spread across America.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In November, Nevada will vote on ballot <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Nevada_Question_3,_Top-Five_Ranked-Choice_Voting_Initiative_(2024)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Question 3<\/a>, which, if passed, would implement final five voting.<\/p>\n<p>Gehl and her affiliated groups funded Nevada Voters First, which aggressively <a href=\"https:\/\/thenevadaindependent.com\/article\/after-restructuring-is-nevada-ranked-choice-ballot-measure-ready-for-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">promoted<\/a> final five voting in 2022, according to The Nevada Independent. Gehl <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Nevada_Question_3,_Top-Five_Ranked-Choice_Voting_Initiative_(2022)#Campaign_finance\">gave<\/a> Nevada Voters First more than $6 million in 2022, while the Final Five Fund gave it close to $2.6 million, according to Ballotpedia. Meanwhile, individuals <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nvsos.gov\/SOSCandidateServices\/AnonymousAccess\/ViewCCEReport.aspx?syn=QAtERuhzKiyEmgQ2h4H1KQ%253d%253d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">affiliated<\/a> with the Final Five Fund &mdash; including Republican Kenneth Griffin &mdash; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nvsos.gov\/soscandidateservices\/anonymousaccess\/ViewCCEReport.aspx?syn=jVK0kreqBePlOlki9KWPTQ%253d%253d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gave<\/a> $4.5 million to the group, according to contribution records.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Voters initially passed the measure in 2022, and they will consider it for the final time in November.<\/p>\n<p>Nevada Voters First has since <a href=\"https:\/\/thenevadaindependent.com\/article\/after-restructuring-is-nevada-ranked-choice-ballot-measure-ready-for-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">re-formed<\/a> as Vote Yes on 3, Inc., which has &ldquo;prebooked more than $9.4 million in ad buys&rdquo; starting in September and leading up to Election Day, according to the Nevada Independent.<\/p>\n<p>Other states including <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Colorado_Top-Four_Ranked-Choice_Voting_Initiative_(2024)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Colorado<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahostatesman.com\/news\/politics-government\/state-politics\/article290396899.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Idaho<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/dailymontanan.com\/2024\/04\/04\/montana-republicans-says-proposed-primary-change-destructive-advocates-say-would-temper-extremism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Montana<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Oregon_Ranked-Choice_Voting_for_Federal_and_State_Elections_Measure_(2024)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Oregon<\/a> may decide on their own versions of RCV in November or the near future.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Logan Washburn is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-clark-county-keeps-commercial-addresses-on-voter-rolls\/\" title=\"Lawsuit: Clark County Keeps Commercial Addresses On Voter Rolls\">staff writer covering election integrity<\/a>. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo&#8217;s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is originally from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A public affairs firm hired by a key organization advocating for ranked-choice voting is attempting to promote this voting method to conservatives, framing it as a solution to the &#8220;ideological gap&#8221; between GOP voters and their elected officials, according to an invitation for a briefing on the topic. The Institute for Political Innovation (IPI), founded by Katherine Gehl, champions &#8220;final five voting,&#8221; which involves the top five candidates from an open primary competing in a ranked general election. IPI also aims to abolish party primaries and replace Congress with what it describes as a &#8220;modern, model legislature.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Both IPI and its associated Final Five Fund are based in the same Chicago building as the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), which received over $300 million from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to influence election administration during the 2020 elections; many states have since prohibited private funding of elections.<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan Baron, founder of Baron Public Affairs\u2014a firm that often addresses center-right issues\u2014expressed pride in collaborating with Gehl and IPI on final five voting. He described IPI as an important organization supporting this initiative.<\/p>\n<p>Baron Public Affairs recently organized a &#8220;private briefing&#8221; titled \u201cBridging the Ideological Divide: Congress and the People,\u201d partnering with Echelon Insights\u2014co-founded by Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson\u2014to analyze the significant ideological differences between Republican voters and their congressional representatives. The briefing aimed to discuss how electoral reform could better align elected officials with their Republican constituents.<\/p>\n<p>The firm released an analysis titled \u201cCongressional Republicans Do Not Represent Republican Voters,\u201d acknowledging that IPI sponsored its research with Echelon Insights. Unsurprisingly, this report advocated for final five voting as a means of integrating populist sentiments within the GOP, claiming it would help close ideological gaps between voters and their representatives.<\/p>\n<p>While IPI argues that final five voting differs from traditional ranked-choice voting (RCV) because it combines non-RCV primaries with RCV general elections, critics like Scott Walter from Capital Research Center contend that it&#8217;s merely another term for RCV systems designed to confuse people into supporting them.<\/p>\n<p>Baron also published an extensive report called \u201cVisions for Victory: Conservative Perspectives on Final Five Voting,\u201d suggesting that this method could significantly bolster conservative efforts in achieving policy goals. However, Jason Snead of Honest Elections Project criticized claims about final five voting benefiting conservatives as misleading tactics orchestrated by wealthy liberal donors aiming to present RCV as bipartisan while actually pushing leftist agendas.<\/p>\n<p>Trent England from Save Our States believes Baron\u2019s report marks just the start of broader efforts promoting final five voting ahead of upcoming elections. He anticipates more lobbying directed at convincing Republicans about its merits.<\/p>\n<p>Despite claims made in Baron\u2019s report suggesting strong support among Republicans for final five voting, Walter pointed out that advocates tend to market it favorably across various political groups without regard for actual outcomes or implications.<\/p>\n<p>As these discussions unfold nationally\u2014with Nevada set to vote on implementing final five voting soon\u2014Gehl&#8217;s affiliated organizations have heavily funded campaigns promoting this initiative there while similar proposals are being considered in other states like Colorado and Oregon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":2316584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Ballot_with_ballot_box_in_Sonoma_California_-_November_2022_-_Sarah_Stierch_02.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[4539,32504,33710,36265],"class_list":["post-2316583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-conservatives","tag-political-strategy","tag-pr","tag-ranked-choice-voting"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Ballot_with_ballot_box_in_Sonoma_California_-_November_2022_-_Sarah_Stierch_02.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/507"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2316583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2316584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2316583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2316583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2316583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}