IRV is not the cure-all for our election and campaign ills. But what IRV has shown to do is  effectively and fairly combine two elections into one, elect majority winners in a single election, increase voter participation, provide voters with more choice and reduce negative campaigning.

No voting system is perfect. The question we pose is: can we do better than we do now? The answer is yes. IRV is a tested and accepted system that is in use in countries around the world and now used in eight US cities. More than a dozen US cities are slated to implement IRV in the near future. This is not an unchartered experiment that Saint Paul will be embarking on if the ballot measure is successful. It will be one of many cities and countries, as well as many organizations that use this voting system.  And we believe that the city has the capability and competence to implement IRV, and we believe the voters care enough about IRV to learn and use the system.

IRV is legal and constitutional. IRV will eliminate municipal primaries, saving the cities money and increasing voter participation. IRV will result in candidates affirmed by a majority of voters without costly two-round elections. IRV opens the doors of opportunity for more candidates. IRV will make campaigns more civil. And, yes, IRV will change the way our current campaign system works. To some this change may be scary. For those of us who want to see our system improved, it is a welcome opportunity we are proud to promote. It is one of the ways we believe we can enhance the democratic process at the local level to make elections more competitive, participatory and meaningful.