RCV: What is it and what’s it got to do with me??

Is it a new model van? An electronic device? No, it’s Ranked Choice Voting, a realistic opportunity for election reform!

Dynamic presentation on Ranked Choice Voting

Monday November 6, 7:00pm

Grafton Municipal Center, Room A (30 Providence Rd., Grafton)

Presenter: Adam Friedman, Executive Director of Voter Choice Massachusetts, the fast-growing movement of volunteers dedicated to educating the public about RCV

Last November, Maine became the first state to pass a voting system called Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). The word is getting out: this is one way to transform politics in America.

3.7 million Americans live in 11 major cities that use RCV, including Cambridge, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Santa Fe. 1.5 billion people around the world live in countries that use RCV for federal elections, including the UK, India, Ireland, and Australia.

Bills are now under consideration in 19 state legislatures to adopt RCV for state offices, local jurisdictions, courts, and/or federal offices. This includes Massachusetts, where a hearing was held October 12th before the Committee on Election Laws.

So, just what is RCV?? How does it work?? How might it have altered critical elections of the past?? What are its advantages?? Is there any potential downside??

Adam will answer these questions in clear laypeople’s terms, with plenty of time for Q&A.

Sponsored by the Grafton-Shrewsbury League of Women Voters

Adam Friedman has been involved in voting and democracy reforms for over ten years. In 2009 he served on the executive committee of a RCV statewide ballot question campaign in Massachusetts. He works full-time as a civic technologist and web software engineer. Beginning in 2012 he created the first searchable public database of official election statistics on behalf of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and three other US states.

For more info, see www.voterchoicema.org / contact Adam at adam@voterchoicema.org

Article submitted by Carol Sotiropoulos 508-839-1652