Action Alert!

On Monday, May 10th, the Duluth city council will hear a presentation on Ranked Choice Voting  and discuss a proposal to put an RCV charter amendment on the ballot this fall.

Please attend on Monday to hear the discussion and show your support for RCV!

Time:  5:30 - 7:00 PM
Location:  Room 303, City Hall 

If you cannot attend, please contact your city councilors before the meeting! It's VERY important that the councilors hear from YOU about why you think RCV is a better way to elect our local leaders. See key talking points below.

Bob Wahman, co-chair of the Duluth RCV Steering Committee, will present on behalf of the Duluth Better Ballot Campaign. Opponent Andy Cilek (MN Voters Alliance) has been invited to present the 'other' side. This is the same organization that took RCV to court in Minneapolis and, despite a unanimous MN Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of RCV, continues to claim that RCV is unconstitutional!

Following the presentation, the council will have a half hour Q  & A session.

Don't miss the discussion! 

THANK YOU -- we look forward to seeing you there!

Please contact Bob Wahman ( rwahman@duluthmn.com (218) 724-3981), Mary Evans (mevans@d.umn.edu (218) 728-4146) or Rebecca Covington (rebecca@mpirg.org  (612) 245-7396) if you have any questions.

Why Ranked Choice Voting is a better way to vote...

Under our current system for city elections, voters are asked to make two trips to the polls – once in September and again in November. The problem is that primaries have much lower participation than general elections and add extra cost to the process – for both candidates and taxpayers. Ranked Choice Voting (a.k.a. Instant Runoff Voting) accomplishes the purpose of a two-round system, but without the flaws and results in representation of more voters!

RCV folds the primary and general election into a single election so that voters only have to make one trip to the polls, tax payers and candidates only have to pay for one election, voters have more choice on the ballot in November and benefit from the enriched public debate, and the ultimate decision will be made with the greatest level of citizen participation.

RCV ensures majority rule and solves the problem of ‘spoiler’ candidates and the kind of vote-splitting that occurs when like-minded candidates compete for the same group of voters -- especially in our two-seat at-large elections.

RCV eliminates wasted votes and ensures more voters are represented by someone they voted for.

RCV also reduces negative campaigning by providing more choice on the ballot and a built-in incentive for candidates to reach beyond their base to appeal to voters for second choice votes. Candidates are more likely to identify what they have in common with other candidates and not alienate voters with attack campaigns against their opponents.

Minneapolis' successful RCV demonstration last year shows that the system works well and that voters understand it. In a post election survey, 95% of Minneapolis voters said that RCV was ‘easy to use’.

RCV is a proven and implementable voting method that will also be used in St. Paul beginning next year and is already in use in several other cities across the country and in democracies such as Ireland, Northern Ireland, Australia, London and Scotland.

Read more.