These have been challenging times in Minnesota and around the country, and we are grateful to all of you for pushing our democracy forward. We know Ranked Choice Voting can lead to more responsive, inclusive governance while also reducing the threat of anti-democratic extremism. Read our February newsletter for action steps and learn about a new national report highlighting the power of RCV to stop our slide towards authoritarianism.
Thank you for caucusing for RCV - you are making a difference
Wow. Hundreds of you signed up to caucus for RCV! Thank you for taking time to discuss the power of RCV with your neighbors and submit a resolution in support of bringing RCV to state and federal elections. If you haven’t already, please email
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[email protected]] and let him know if you submitted a resolution in support of RCV. Making RCV a priority conversation among party activists and candidates is critical to moving this powerful reform forward, and we greatly appreciate your time and effort. And please share your support for RCV with the badge below on Facebook [[link removed]] and Twitter [[link removed]] .
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Next steps
Whether or not you caucused, you can help grow support for RCV! The most important step you can take to help advance the RCV bill this session by contacting your legislators and urging them to support RCV statewide [[link removed]] . If you already contacted your legislators, do it again -- and again!! You can edit the email and make it your own. Your advocacy will help to advance the legislation and also build momentum for more pro-RCV candidates to run and win in November, when every House and Senate seat is up for election.
Spread the word - we're hiring
Educating voters about RCV and building a statewide movement takes people – and we have exciting news to share. . . we’re hiring! FairVote Minnesota is recruiting a field team – organizers and a field manager – to help us expand RCV in Minnesota. We are seeking committed, dynamic team members who have experience successfully working with diverse populations. The field organizers will join our unionized staff represented by the Minnesota Newspaper & Communications Guild, TNG-CWA Local 37002. Find out positions and details here [[link removed]] .
Join our team and help us elect a pro-democracy, pro-voter legislature. The future of our democracy depends on it!
Get your Team Democracy sticker
RCV is one of the top reforms to strengthen our democracy. While we’ve accomplished a lot, we also have a lot of work ahead – building legislative support and electing a pro-RCV majority in the Minnesota legislature this November!
You can be part of this critical work by contributing $5 – or whatever amount you can – and join Team Democracy! You will receive our special-edition team sticker. Get one for yourself, family, friends or anyone who wants to strengthen our democracy through RCV. Click here to sign up:
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New report cites RCV as a top reform to mitigate slide towards authoritarianisms
Finally, we want to share a new report by the nonpartisan group, Protect Democracy, How the U.S. Electoral System Advantages Authoritarianism [[link removed]] . It lays out how our current system fosters our slide towards authoritarianism and outlines reforms to counteract that threat. The first reform they cite is Ranked Choice Voting. The report explains, “Particularly because candidates may require voters to list them as lower-order preferences [under RCV], they become reciprocally dependent on voters beyond their most partisan constituencies. This may in turn carry implications for mitigating extremism.” They add, “In the U.S., the requirement to secure a majority may be especially compelling in primary elections ‘given their often large, unwieldy fields of often polarizing candidates... [who] can often win with a small fraction of the total vote.’” They highlight the dangers of our current plurality system but note that the U.S. and other countries have reformed their systems in the past and can do so again.
If we change the electoral incentives, we can reverse our slide towards authoritarianism. We would add that RCV is an achievable and viable reform; it is a simple, commonsense change to the ballot that has been tested and proven successful in Minnesota and around the country. Read the full report [[link removed]] .
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Thank you for being on the side of democracy and being with us every step of the way as we march this vital and important reform forward in our state.
Your FairVote MN Team
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FairVote Minnesota
550 Vandalia Street, Suite 210
Saint Paul, MN 55114
United States
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