Rob Port is often an astute political observer, but sometimes his personal vendettas seem to get in the way. Such is the case with his diatribe against Fargo’s approval voting system.
He believes that all elections in North Dakota should be handled exactly the same way, but there is no compelling reason why that should be the case. If voters in Minot want to elect their municipal officials in some certain way, they should be able to do that without people elsewhere telling them they can’t.
Port also believes that approval voting undermines the concept of electoral mandates, which it doesn’t. Approval voting does not dilute the will of the voters, but rather it clearly expresses that will. If I find that multiple candidates in a crowded field all meet my approval, in Fargo I can vote for them all. In fact, I recommend that other jurisdictions, such as Port’s Minot, consider approval voting as well. Otherwise a candidate in a crowded field who wins office with only a small percentage of the vote can be elected with no mandate at all.
Paul H. Gleye lives in Fargo.
This letter does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Forum's editorial board nor Forum ownership.
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