[Davis Democrats] AB1294:Encourage ranked voting for local elections

Tue Oct 9 18:42:06 PDT 2007

Conversation: Encourage ranked voting for local elections
Subject: Encourage ranked voting for local elections

Impressive list of endorsers, near the bottom.

Please see email below about important legislation endorsed by Democracy for
America to improve California's democracy

Final Few Days: Last Chance to Urge Governor Schwarzenegger To Sign AB 1294
AB 1294 (Mullin) ‹ Local Option for Ranked Voting
NOW IS CRITICAL TIME TO INFLUENCE GOVERNOR TO SIGN AB 1294

AB 1294 is CfER's bill to allow cities and counties to use ranked voting
systems, including instant runoff voting and choice voting.

Ranked voting is more fair, preferred by voters, saves local governments
money, and can lead to dramatic improvements in effective voter
participation. Charter jurisdictions already have the ability to use these
systems, and AB 1294 extends this "local option" to all cities and counties.
The bill passed the California Legislature on September 12th and is now on
the Governor's desk.  We have a short window of time to influence the
Governor before he decides how he will act on the bill.

The Governor must decide between now and Sunday whether to sign or veto the
bill! 

There are only a few days left in which to influence the Governor - your
calls, faxes, and emails WILL MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE!

Please contact Governor Schwarzenegger today - urge him to sign AB 1294. You
can fax, email, or call. The most important thing is, do it immediately.
>  
> 
> Governor Arnold  Schwarzenegger
> State Capitol Building
> Sacramento, CA 95814
> Fax: 916-445-4633
> Phone: 916-445-2841
> Email:  visit http://gov.ca.gov/interact
>  
> 
> In general, faxes or  emails, both in letter form, are probably preferable to
> phone calls. You can  only email the Governor using the website above, where
> it is preferable to  write your email note in the form of a formal letter.
> Given the extremely  short window of time left to influence the Governor, we
> recommend against  sending postal letters at this time.  The most important
> thing is  to take action immediately.

For more information, see Talking Points <#talkingpoints>  or Supporters
<#supporters>  below. A sample letter <#sampleletter>  appears below.

Get more information about Instant Runoff Voting
<http://www.cfer.org/takeaction.htm#aboutirv>   or more background
<http://www.cfer.org/takeaction.htm#background>   about the issue or the
history of the bill on the CfER website at:
http://www.cfer.org/takeaction.htm

Once you contact the Governor, please get ten (10) other friends, relatives,
neighbors, or colleagues to do the same.  Please spread the word and help
get as many people as possible to contact the Governor and urge him to sign
the bill.

TALKING POINTS FOR AB 1294:

1) AB 1294 IS ABOUT LOCAL CONTROL: LETTING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS DO WHAT¹S BEST
FOR THEIR CITIZENS 
> 
> AB 1294 offers an option, not a mandate.  It makes it possible for general law
> cities and counties to consider election reforms to increase voter
> participation and save our municipalities money. General law cities and
> counties deserve the opportunity to use electoral systems that best  address
> their unique needs. Currently, only charter cities have this  opportunity, and
> it should be extended to all local governments.
>  
> The bill requires  that cities wishing to adopt ranked voting must first
> obtain local voter approval, ensuring that a change to ranked voting only
> occurs in jurisdictions with broad public support for doing  so.

2) COST SAVINGS FOR  LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
> AB 1294 imposes no fiscal cost on the state, and gives local governments an
> opportunity to save money, in some cases a considerable amount.  Most
> jurisdictions have majority requirements to mandate costly runoff elections.
> This bill gives local governments, often operating on very limited budgets, an
> option to save scarce tax  dollars for other purposes by finishing the
> election in a single IRV election.
> 
> San  Francisco alone saves around $1.6 million per election, a substantial sum
> for local government budgets.  Los  Angeles recently held  a runoff election
> for local government offices that cost $5 million dollars and only had 6%
> voter turnout. 

3) IRV HAS AN EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL TRACK RECORD WHEREVER IT HAS BEEN USED
> 
> All available  research and surveys of the usage of IRV in various places show
> that ranked ballot methods are popular and easily understood by voters. In San
> Francisco¹s IRV elections, every single demographic in the city  defined by
> where they live and race, age, gender, party and political philosophy 
> greatly  prefers IRV to the old separate runoff system by a three-to-one
> margin. Over  87% of voters said they understood IRV perfectly well or fairly
> well, and two-to-one, they perceived instant runoff voting as fairer than the
> prior two-round runoff system. From the standpoint of voter acceptance,
> ranked voting has proven exceptional in San Francisco and all other
> municipalities where it has been used.

4) UNIFORM ELECTION CODE SUPPORT
>  
> Uniform election code support for  these electoral methods will help both
> charter and general law jurisdictions  that want to use them. City and county
> officials and/or local Registrars are  not put in the difficult positions of
> having to make up such procedures  themselves
5) AB 1294 IS BROADLY SUPPORTED
>  
> 
> See  the partial list below of organizations and individuals supporting AB
> 1294.  
SUPPORTERS OF AB 1294 INCLUDE:
* Californians for Electoral Reform (sponsor)
* Secretary of State Debra Bowen
* Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality
* Asian Pacific American Legal Center
* California Common Cause
* California League of Women Voters
* California Public Interest Research Group
* California Peace and Freedon Party
* City  Clerks Association of California
* City  of Davis,  CA
* City  of Fort Bragg
* City  of Menlo  Park
* Community Development Institute of East Palo Alto
* Davis Choice Voting
* Democracy for America
* FairVote  the Center for Voting and Democracy
* Greenlining Institute
* Kevin McKeown, Councilmember, City of  Santa  Monica
* Latino Voters League
* Latinos for America
* League of California Cities
* Los  Angeles Voters for  Instant Runoff Elections
* Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund  (MALDEF)
* National Latino Congreso, 2007 convening
* New  America Foundation
* San  Mateo  County Democracy for America
* Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP)
* Warren Slocum, Chief Elections Officer &  Assessor-Clerk-Recorder, San
Mateo County  
* William C. Velasquez Institute (WCVI).
* Yolo County Registrar of Voters Freddie Oakley

SAMPLE LETTER TO GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER
>  
> [ Note: Letters to public  officials are always more effective when they are
> in your own words. The  example below is best used as exactly that -- an
> example. Please see the  talking points above for useful ideas for your letter
> ] 
>  
> 
> [Date] 
>  
> 
> Governor Arnold  Schwarzenegger
> State Capitol Building
> Sacramento, CA 95814
>  
> 
> Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,
>  
> 
> I urge you to sign AB 1294,  giving all cities and counties the option to use
> Instant Runoff Voting and  Choice Voting. These ranked voting systems have
> proven themselves to be both  good for local governments and good for voters.
>  
> 
> Local governments can save a  lot of money by being able to elect their
> representatives in a single  election, without the need for a costly runoff
> election. San  Francisco alone saves over $1.6 million per election.  Los
> Angeles  just recently held a set of runoff elections that cost around $5
> million and  only had a 6% voter turnout. That money could be better spent
> elsewhere, and  democracy would be better served by involving more citizens in
> the process.  
>  
> 
> Instant Runoff Voting works  well, and voters understand it, use it
> effectively, and like it. Voters in  San  Francisco preferred IRV by a three
> to one margin over  their previous system, and two to one thought it more
> fair. 
>  
> 
> This bill would give general  law cities and counties the same opportunity to
> use ranked voting methods that  charter cities and counties have now. These
> forms of voting can be  advantageous in many situations and cities and
> counties should have the right  to make the decision as to whether to
> implement them based on their particular  circumstances and the will of their
> electorates, rather than being constrained  as under current law.
>  
> 
> Sincerely,
> [YourNameHere]  

--------------------------------------------
Thanks again for your help. If you have questions, please contact:
>  
>>  
>> 
>> Rob  Dickinson
>> Executive Vice President
>> Californians for Electoral  Reform
>> Email: rdickinson at cfer.org
>> Web: www.cfer.org <http://www.cfer.org>
>> Phone:  650-365-6025
>> Mobile: 650-544-5925
>  
> 
> 
> p.s. - We hope that we have not  sent you too much email in the last few
> months as we have aggressively worked  our legislation.  If we have, please
> accept our apologies.  We are  in the home stretch now, and should be back to
> our normal email volume  shortly, which is typically only one or two messages
> per month. Thanks for  your patience.
 __._,_.___ 

<*> Visit our website at http://sacramentofordemocracy.org/

------ End of Forwarded Message