Conversations started over coffee in December 1996 among a group of politically diverse individuals who had a common disaffection for politics as usual. This group used the collaborative and democratic process of the study circle to examine alternative voting methods and concluded that this was a structural change that could make a fundamental difference in the quality of democracy. FairVote Minnesota was born as a grassroots network of about 20 active volunteers.

Major activities and accomplishments include: 

• Successfully advocated for the timely implementation of Ranked Choice Voting in Minneapolis in 2009.

• Intervened in the lawsuit against Ranked Choice Voting in the City of Minneapolis, which was decided by the Minnesota Supreme Court in June, 2009. The Court issued a unanimous ruling upholding the constitutionality of Ranked Choice Voting.

• Lead organization of the Saint Paul Better Ballot Campaign,

• Lead partner of the successfull Minneapolis Better Ballot Campaign, providing consultation, research and education and support to the campaign. The campaign for Instant Runoff Voting in Minneapolis won by a 2 to 1 margin on November 7, 2006.

• Spurred charter amendment campaigns in Hopkins and Minneapolis.

• Organized the grassroots response to the Help America Vote Act. The majority of public comments on the Minnesot HAVA plan called on the state to make sure new voting equipment is upgraded to process the ballot types used in advanced voting methods.

• Led the effort at the state legislature to allow Roseville to use an alternative voting method known as “instant runoff voting” in a one-time pilot project for a special election. The legislation passed the Senate and received a floor vote in the House, advancing farther than previous political reform efforts that had much greater funding.

• Researched and wrote “Municipal Voting System Reform," published in Bench & Bar of Minnesota (October 2002). It established the legal basis for adoption of alternative voting methods by home rule cities, an important tool for activists working to change their city’s voting methods.

• Addressed thousands across the metro area and parts of Greater Minnesota through our Speakers Bureau, featured presentations on public affairs cable TV and radio programs, and opinion articles in the Star Tribune, Saint Paul Pioneer Press and theDuluth News Tribune.

• Researched, wrote, and published “No-Contest Elections,” a groundbreaking report on the lack of real contests in most state legislative races. It introduced “competitiveness” as a criterion in redistricting. The Ventura administration championed the concept. It appears the court panel that drew the 2002 district lines applied this criterion, as the state legislative district plan is more competitive than the 1990s plan

• Cosponsored “Empowering the Voter,” a Midwest regional conference with national leaders in election reform held in November 1998 on the heels of Jesse Ventura’s third party upset victory, giving the conference significant news coverage.