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Help Us Change the Way Colorado Votes

Posted on May 20, 2010 by The Green Party of Colorado

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Message*	Help Us Change the Way Colorado Votes <a href="http://cnpjs.org/actions/?id=4855">http://cnpjs.org/actions/?id=4855</a> Like most of the US, the state of Colorado, its cities and counties, use an outdated and unrepresentative voting system called plurality voting, or "first past the post." Whoever gets the most votes wins - majority support or not. <br /> <br /> There is a growing movement towards a better, fairer system, called Ranked Voting. To advance the movement here in Colorado, help grassroots activists in Fort Collins organize for a petition drive this summer to get a city charter amendment on next April's municipal ballot.<br /> <br /> <strong>What is Ranked Voting? </strong><br /> Imagine a voting system where you could actually vote for whoever you wanted, without worrying about electing your least favorite candidate; where anyone could run, without fear of being a spoiler; and where issues mattered more than money. <br /> <br /> There is such a system - Ranked Voting. Ranked voting promotes more civic engagement, more candidates, more choices, better turnout, more civil campaigning, and less control by moneyed interests.<br /> <br /> <strong>How does ranked voting work?</strong> <br /> It’s as easy as 1-2-3, and as American as apple pie. You mark your ballot for choices in preference order. In the first round, voters' first choices are tallied. If a candidate receives a majority of first choices, they win. If no one achieves a majority, a runoff occurs instantly. The candidate with the fewest votes is removed and the votes for that candidate are redistributed to their voters’ second choices. (Other voters’ top choices remain the same.) If someone has a majority of first and second choices, they win. If not, the process is repeated until one candidate has majority support or all ballots are exhausted.<br /> <br /> <strong>Who Uses Ranked Voting?</strong><br /> In Great Britain, the Liberal Democrats just joined a coalition government with the Conservative Party on condition of holding a national referendum on Ranked Voting. In the US, more and more cities including Aspen, Basalt and Telluride, Colorado, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Memphis,Tennessee, Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, San Francisco, Berkeley and San Leandro, California, Sarasota, Florida, Ferndale, Michigan, Hendersonville and Cary, North Carolina, as well as students at over 40 universities, and many associations use Ranked Voting or are currently implementing it.<br /> <br /> Ranked voting for Fort Collins has been endorsed by the Larimer County League of Women Voters, the Associated Students of Colorado State University, the Northern Colorado Central Labor Council, state Representative John Kefalas, the Larimer Democratic Party and Poudre Valley Green Party, among others. <br /> <br /> <strong>What Needs to Happen?</strong><br /> We need to collect over 5,000 valid petition signatures in three months to get a charter amendment on the ballot, meaning we needs lots of volunteers and donations. If we succeed, folks in Denver and around the state will be emboldened and more likely to move forward as well.<br /> <br /> <strong>For more information</strong>, or if you'd like to help, go to <a href="http://www.fortcollinsrankedvoting.org" target="_blank">www.fortcollinsrankedvoting.org</a>, or call Eric Fried at 970-214-4548.
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Date(s): Tue, Jun 1st, 2010 thru Wed, Sep 1st, 2010

Like most of the US, the state of Colorado, its cities and counties, use an outdated and unrepresentative voting system called plurality voting, or "first past the post." Whoever gets the most votes wins - majority support or not.

There is a growing movement towards a better, fairer system, called Ranked Voting. To advance the movement here in Colorado, help grassroots activists in Fort Collins organize for a petition drive this summer to get a city charter amendment on next April's municipal ballot.

What is Ranked Voting?
Imagine a voting system where you could actually vote for whoever you wanted, without worrying about electing your least favorite candidate; where anyone could run, without fear of being a spoiler; and where issues mattered more than money.

There is such a system - Ranked Voting. Ranked voting promotes more civic engagement, more candidates, more choices, better turnout, more civil campaigning, and less control by moneyed interests.

How does ranked voting work?
It’s as easy as 1-2-3, and as American as apple pie. You mark your ballot for choices in preference order. In the first round, voters' first choices are tallied. If a candidate receives a majority of first choices, they win. If no one achieves a majority, a runoff occurs instantly. The candidate with the fewest votes is removed and the votes for that candidate are redistributed to their voters’ second choices. (Other voters’ top choices remain the same.) If someone has a majority of first and second choices, they win. If not, the process is repeated until one candidate has majority support or all ballots are exhausted.

Who Uses Ranked Voting?
In Great Britain, the Liberal Democrats just joined a coalition government with the Conservative Party on condition of holding a national referendum on Ranked Voting. In the US, more and more cities including Aspen, Basalt and Telluride, Colorado, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Memphis,Tennessee, Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, San Francisco, Berkeley and San Leandro, California, Sarasota, Florida, Ferndale, Michigan, Hendersonville and Cary, North Carolina, as well as students at over 40 universities, and many associations use Ranked Voting or are currently implementing it.

Ranked voting for Fort Collins has been endorsed by the Larimer County League of Women Voters, the Associated Students of Colorado State University, the Northern Colorado Central Labor Council, state Representative John Kefalas, the Larimer Democratic Party and Poudre Valley Green Party, among others.

What Needs to Happen?
We need to collect over 5,000 valid petition signatures in three months to get a charter amendment on the ballot, meaning we needs lots of volunteers and donations. If we succeed, folks in Denver and around the state will be emboldened and more likely to move forward as well.

For more information, or if you'd like to help, go to www.fortcollinsrankedvoting.org, or call Eric Fried at 970-214-4548.