BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:www.indybay.org PRODID:-//indybay/ical// v1.0//EN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:Indybay-18399509 SEQUENCE:18411777 CREATED:20070416T161000Z DESCRIPTION:Take Action\nAB 1294 needs your support! Visit CfER's action page and act today.\nEndorse ranked voting here\n \nUpcoming events\n\n * Assembly Elections Committee hearing on AB 1294(event)(2 days)\n * Monthly meeting, April 18, 2007(event)(3 days)\n * Voices Of Reform forum on IRV(event)(4 days)\n\nSign Up for News\nPlease read our privacy policy. For more options, go here.\nEmail:\n \nMonthly meeting, April 18, 2007\nStart: 04/18/2007 - 7:00pm\nEnd: 04/18/2007 - 9:00pm\nTimezone: Etc/GMT+7\nBody:\n\nMarin Ranked Voting's monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 18 at 7:00pm.\n\nEveryone interested in better ways of choosing public officials is encouraged to drop by.\n \nWinners on November 7\nOakland, California\nDavis, California\nMinneapolis, Minnesota\nPierce County, Washington\n \nOther Local Campaigns\nSanta Monica Ranked Voting\nLos Angeles VoteFIRE\nSan Mateo County for Electoral Reform\nHumboldt Voters' Association\n \nStatewide and National Organizations\nFairVote - The Center for Voting and Democracy\nCalifornians for Electoral Reform\nCalifornia IRV Coalition\n \nResources\nDemoChoice Polls\nDoug Amy's PR Library\n\nYour help is needed NOW to move important electoral reform legislation forward in the California Assembly.\n\nAB 1294, introduced by Assembly Members Mullin (D-19) and Leno (D-13), would allow all local jurisdictions (cities, counties, and districts) to use ranked voting systems to elect their representatives. The bill would allow these jurisdictions to use Instant Runoff Voting for single-winner elections or Choice Voting (a ranked voting system similar to IRV) for multiple-winner elections. It would also add to the state Elections Code the guidelines and procedures registrars and equipment vendors need to count and report ranked voting elections.\n\nThis bill is important in that most local jurisdictions are not able to use ranked voting systems under current law, and this bill would permit them to do so. Today only charter counties or charter cities can use IRV, but over three-fourths of cities and counties -- and nearly all districts -- are general law jurisdictions and don't have these options. Over half of Californians live in a general law city, a general law county, or both. AB 1294 would give these jurisdictions these additional options, but would not mandate that any jurisdictions use these systems. In other words, it is simply permissive and gives local governments the tools they need to respond to the wishes of their voters.\n\nInstant Runoff Voting (IRV) ensures that the winner of a single-winner election has the support of the majority of voters in a single election. By eliminating the need for a costly runoff election it saves local governments a lot of money -- about $2M per election in San Francisco alone. IRV also eliminates vote-splitting and spoiler effects, both of which undermine the public's confidence the political process. Finally, IRV helps promote positive, issue-based campaigns with less negative campaigning because candidates will seek 2nd and 3rd choice votes."\n\nSan Francisco has used Instant Runoff Voting extremely successfully for three consecutive elections, and all academic and survey research shows that the results have been excellent. San Francisco voters understood IRV extremely well, used it effectively, and overwhelmingly prefer it to the old two-round runoff system that they had used for decades. In fact, of voters expressing a preference, approximately 3 to 1 prefer the IRV system over their old system.\n\nGiven the momentum for ranked voting building around the country -- shown last November in Oakland, Davis, Minneapolis (MN) and Pierce County (WA) -- this bill comes at an excellent time.\n\nPlease Contact Members of the Assembly Committee on Elections and Redistricting ASAP\n\nAB 1294 will be considered in the Assembly Committee on Elections and Redistricting this Tuesday (April 17th) and it is important that members of the committee hear from you right away.\n\nPlease call, fax, or email the members of the committee to express your support and urge them to support the bill in committee. If you only have time to contact one member, please contact the Chair of the committee, Assemblyman Curren Price.\n\n Curren D. Price Jr, Chair\n Phone: (916) 319-2051\n Fax: (916) 319-2151\n Email: Assemblymember.Price@assembly.ca.gov\n\n Anthony Adams, Vice Chair\n Phone: (916) 319-2059\n Fax: (916) 319-2159\n Email: Assemblymember.Adams@assembly.ca.gov\n\n Mark Leno (one of the authors of the bill, so you don't need to contact him now)\n\n Lloyd E. Levine\n Phone: (916) 319-2040\n Fax: (916) 319-2140\n Email: Assemblymember.levine@assembly.ca.gov\n\n Tony Mendoza\n Phone: (916) 319-2056\n Fax: (916) 319-2156\n Email: Assemblymember.Mendoza@assembly.ca.gov\n\n Roger Niello\n Phone: 916-319-2005\n Fax: 916-319-2105\n Email: Assemblymember.niello@assembly.ca.gov\n\n Lori Saldaña\n Phone: (916) 319-2076\n Fax: (916) 319-2176\n Email: Assemblymember.Saldana@assembly.ca.gov\n\n \n\nKEY POLICY BENEFITS OF AB 1294:\n\n1) This bill ONLY gives local governments an option to use ranked voting. but does not mandate that any jurisdiction use ranked voting systems.\n\n2) Cities and counties deserve the opportunity to use the electoral systems that best address their unique needs . Currently, only charter cities have this opportunity, and it should be extended to all local governments. Giving general law jurisdictions the right to improve their election procedures would open up valuable new opportunities for them to achieve more representative democracy and better government. Allowing local jurisdictions to demonstrate improvements to their electoral processes allows the whole state to benefit and see what works best.\n\n3) Our current voting systems suffer from a variety of deficits, including vote splitting and spoiler effects, and unequal representation. Spoiler and vote splitting effects can allow a candidate to be elected where the majority of people would prefer a different candidate. Our winner-take-all electoral systems ensure that a significant percentage of the population is denied representation , and this ultimately undermines the political system. In particular, minority communities suffer the most, and the Choice Voting system allowed by this legislation provides for much greater opportunities for representation than are afforded under our current at-large winner-take-all systems.\n\n4) Ranked voting systems like Instant Runoff Voting lead to greater voter participation (sometimes quite dramatically), as well as encourage issue-oriented campaigns with less negative campaigning .\n\n5) The lack of uniform election code support for these improved electoral systems is a significant obstacle to cities and counties and other jurisdictions that want to use these systems , and AB 1294 addresses this need. In addition, City and County officials and/or local Registrars are not put in the difficult positions of having to make up such procedures themselves.\n\n6) IRV saves taxpayer money by eliminating the need for a separate runoff election. San Francisco alone saves at least $2 Million per election by eliminating a separate runoff election. And they have much higher effective voter participation in a single election, with an estimated tripling of voter participation among low-income and minority neighborhoods. Greater participation for less money.\n\n\nORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING AB 1294 INCLUDE:\n\n o Secretary of State Bowen\n o Californians for Electoral Reform\n o California Common Cause\n o FairVote â€" the Center for Voting and Democracy\n o New America Foundation\n o California League of Women Voters\n o League of California Cities\n o Democracy for America\n o Latinos for America\n o The City of Davis, CA\n o Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality\n o Asian Pacific American Legal Center\n o Davis Choice Voting\n o San Mateo County Democracy for America\n o Community Development Institute of East Palo Alto\n o Greenlining Institute\n o San Mateo County Chief Elections Official Warren Slocum\n o Yolo County Registrar of Voters Freddie Oakley\n o Santa Monica Council Member Kevin McKeown\n\nThanks for all your help!\n\n Rob Dickinson\n Executive Vice President\n Californians for Electoral Reform\n Email: rdickinson@cfer.org\n Web: www.cfer.org\n Phone: 650-365-6025\n Mobile: 650-544-5925 \n\nAdd put up by http://groups.yahoo.com/group/davidquinleymaringpcouncil\n https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/04/16/18399509.php SUMMARY:Monthly Marin Rank Voting Meeting LOCATION:Kentfield Campus's Student Services(Student Center) Building on the College of Marin - Dinning Area - Bottom Floor URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/04/16/18399509.php DTSTART:20070419T020000Z DTEND:20070419T040000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR