John,

The largest city in America has just approved one of the most substantial electoral reforms in the country. Yesterday, nearly three quarters of the New York City voters who turned out supported Ranked Choice Voting in future city elections, which will change the way they vote to increase choice and reward leaders who work across party divides.

Stand Up Republic has been a staunch advocate for electoral reforms like RCV, which not only strengthens our electoral systems against interference and fraud but also improves the way we choose our leaders. In Ranked Choice Voting, citizens have the ability to choose more than one candidate, ranking them in order of preference. 

If no candidate gets more than 50% of the votes, the last place finisher is eliminated, and their votes reassigned to the voters’ second choices. The process repeats until one candidate has more than half the total votes, establishing a clear winner while empowering voters to support the candidates they most believe in.

New York City joins numerous other cities - and the state of Maine - as an example to the rest of the country of just how powerful this reform can be. But while New Yorkers have made a great choice at home, we need to bring RCV to voters across the country.

That’s one of the things we advocate for at Stand Up Republic, and we’re eager to work with SUR members in every community to push for a better way to vote. New York City is proof that people can make these changes, even if their local elected leaders resist change. Let’s take this momentum as a signal to rededicate ourselves to the fight for more secure and more effective elections in our communities and states. 

Join your local chapters of SUR in advocating for Ranked Choice Voting, non-partisan redistricting, automatic voter registration, and the other key measures in our electoral reform agenda. Together, we can improve the way America elects our leaders, creating a more functional and representative government.

-- Stand Up Republic