Prior to knowing who the final winner is of tonight's Presidential, House and Senate elections, I am proposing the Majority Voting Constitutional Amendment, which would become the 28th Amendment:
"All federally elected offices in the United States and Territories shall be decided with a simple majority vote. If a winner shall not be decided among all candidates in a single election, a runoff procedure shall decide the winner among the top vote receivers, with the election for the office of the President of the United States decided by Instant Runoff procedure. For offices of the House, Senate, and other federally elected offices, the States shall decide the procedures for majority vote and runoff elections."
I believe that choice is lacking in our federal elections due to plurality voting. In a two-party system where parties can't even get federal funding unless they reach 5% of the election results, which is rare, it makes no sense that a candidate from a major party can win the majority of Electoral College votes with just a plurality of popular vote.
Some States already force a runoff vote for Senate elections, with Louisiana being one of them. This year, they will hold a Dec. 10th runoff if none of the 24 candidates reaches a majority, and that is almost assured.
Why a majority vote?
A majority vote provides a mandate from the people. When the votes are divided 3 .. or 24 ... ways, it's hard to determine the will of the people.
Types of runoff votes
A runoff vote is essential to determine majority vote in a situation where nobody receives a majority. There are several types to choose from:
- Runoff Election - The top two candidates vie for another few weeks, and a second vote happens. The downsides to this are that turnout might be lower, which will support traditionally conservative candidates.
- Approval voting - Voters check ALL candidates they approve of. The voter with the most votes wins. This will usually pad totals for all candidates, resulting in a few receiving majority votes. There may exist a possibility of nobody reaching a majority in a field of 24 candidates, though.
- Instant Runoff - This is my favorite. During the general election voting day, voters mark a first and second choice. If a runoff is required, your second choice is added. The lowest polling candidates are dropped off the ballot until the last two remain... resulting in a decisive victory by one of the two remaining candidates.
Mandate Presidential Voting, let States decide the rest
To get approval of the States to ratify, the Amendment proposes to mandate an Instant Runoff for the Presidential election, to simplify things, but gives room for the States to decide the method of general and runoff voting they wish to proceed with for State federal offices, such as House and Senate
The end result is meeting the need of the voters: 1) voters get to vote who they want to vote for and speak their true mind and 2) voters can give a mandate that may not be apparent in a 3+ split election. This also avoids the current evil of voting for someone you want to, but essentially allowing your most feared candidate an opportunity to win by splitting votes on one side (left/right, conservative/liberal, etc.) An instant runoff even allows us to do this at no extra cost of having additional elections or cognitive dissonance while in the voting booth. Who among us would choose 1) Stein- 2)Clinton or 1)Johnson 2) Trump and feel 100% happy and comfortable with such a decision? In the end, there is only upside and no downside.
I authored and proposed this Constitutional Amendment, and would enjoy any feedback on this. 
Images Credit:
We the people- wynpnt @ Pixabay
Schoolhouse Rock screenshot - ABC Entertainment
