Seattle's current voting system, #plurality voting, has been around since democracy was established. The most significant advantages of this system are that it's popular, discourages #tribal politics, and is remarkably easy to understand. However, more voters in #Seattle are starting to realize that its cons (center squeeze and spoiler effects, among others) far outweigh any perceived pros. And, in a city that's getting increasingly tired of the two-party system, it's become clear that it's time to find a better system. In the interest of preserving #democracy, this leaves two choices: ranked choice voting or approval voting.

Ranked choice voting, or #RCV, requires voters to choose their top three most preferred candidates (in order of preference) for certain positions. A voting system that's been used with varying degrees of success in places like New York City, Tennessee, and Memphis, RCV has the significant benefit of ensuring that the majority wins and expensive runoff elections are avoided. 

It has also encouraged a more civil approach to campaigns from politicians, reducing much of the tension associated with the election process. However, Seattle would have to invest in the proper equipment to implement this voting system to count the ballots. Also, it's been demonstrably proven that this voting method can be complicated for voters to follow, especially at first.

Approval voting encourages voters to cast equally-weighted votes for as many candidates running for office as they want. As voters don't have to indicate their affinity for the candidate(s) they choose, this voting system considerably enhances voter satisfaction. Not only does it promote honest voting, but it's also more expressive, prevents different spoilers, and is more cost-efficient to implement. On the flip side, it can also promote tactical voting and, in some cases, it may inadvertently challenge the notion of majority rule.

Now, the question for debate, if Seattle votes to end plurality voting locally, which should replace it: ranked choice voting or approval voting?