Yes, Texas, there is a better way to elect a governor

We can elect a governor with an absolute majority, but without a cumbersome runoff.

It’s called Instant Runoff Voting, and it’s used elsewhere.

The way it works, in a race involving three or more people, is simple.

You mark your ballot, not just for one choice, but you list your No. 1 preference, then your No. 2, then your No. 3, etc. If no candidate gets an absolute majority, the bottom candidate is stricken from the list. Everybody who voted for that person automatically has their votes assigned to their No. 2 choice, and you recalculate. If still nobody has a majority, you again strike the bottom candidate; everybody who voted him or her No. 2 has their votes assigned to choice No. 3 and everybody who picked this candidate No. 1 gets their votes moved to candidate No. 2.

No “wasted votes.”

No two-party RepubliCrat monopoly using the phrase “wasted votes” as a fear tactic. (Incidentally, The Nation had a good piece on IRV, but the author was focusing on primary races, indicating to me she’s locked into the two-party monopoly.)