In the News
January 19, 2023
This article, published in the Minnesota Reformer, reports that Minnesota is leading in voting system reform, citing RepresentWomen's research. Read an excerpt below:
In Minneapolis, voter turnout for municipal elections has increased substantially since the adoption of RCV. In the 2021 municipal election, turnout reached 54%, an increase of nearly 24 percentage points since 2005. On average, the introduction of RCV in the Twin Cities is estimated to be directly responsible for a 9.6-percentage-point increase in turnout for mayoral elections, and the increase is more pronounced for precincts with high poverty rates.
Along with increased turnout, RCV encourages candidates to engage in positive campaign strategies and cooperate with their opponents in order to receive second-choice votes. With voters particularly critical of the divisiveness and cynicism currently driving campaigns, RCV begins to combat the aura of pessimism that dissuades voters from actively following and participating in politics. In the Twin Cities, the civility of debates has increased, and 90% of voters say that candidates spend no or very little time criticizing each other. This transformation in tone is meaningful because positive candidate messaging further stimulates turnout.
Finally, RCV has contributed to a dramatic shift in the diversity of the Minneapolis City Council. Of the current members, 54% are women and 62% are people of color. Nationally, as of April 2020, 46% of mayoral positions and 49% of city council seats decided by RCV are held by women. In non-RCV jurisdictions, women comprise only 23% of mayors.
The non-transferable voting system that persists in the vast majority of the United States is long overdue for a change. It is a system that increases polarization, cements a two-party structure, suppresses turnout, and contributes to the voting paradox through wasted votes. RCV offers a solution to these issues by ensuring that third-party candidates can run without being spoilers, while the system simultaneously introduces new benefits in the form of turnout, positive campaigning, and representation.
Read the full article here.
