Minneapolis Better Ballot Campaign

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Keep up to date with future news and information about Instant Runoff Voting in Minnesota at http://FairVoteMN.org.

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Minneapolis voters chose Instant Runoff Voting!

November 7th, 2006, election results:

Yes: 65%
No: 35%

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This question appeared on the general election ballot on November 7, 2006:

A PROPOSAL TO USE INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS ELECTIONS

Should the City of Minneapolis adopt Single Transferable Vote, sometimes known as Ranked Choice Voting or Instant Runoff Voting, as the method for electing the Mayor, City Council, and members of the Park and Recreation Board, Library Board, and Board of Estimate and Taxation without a separate primary election and with ballot format and rules for counting votes adopted by ordinance?

ballot ovals

 

Background

 

Instant Runoff Voting is a ranked-choice voting method that simulates several rounds of voting, but accomplishes the task in just one election. The Better Ballot Campaign, supported by a grassroots coalition of political parties, social justice and environmental groups, religious institutions, and others, has been working for over a year to put Instant Runoff Voting on the ballot.

On August 4th, the Minneapolis City Council gave final approval by a 12-1 vote to put the Instant Runoff Voting charter amendment on the November ballot.

Click here to view the proposed amendment.

A Better Voting Method

Instant Runoff Voting allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. Using this method, more formally known as Single Transferable Vote, winners are determined by counting first choices and determining if any candidates received a minimum number of votes needed to win.

In the single-seat races for mayor, city council, and park district commissioners, the share of votes needed to win is 50 percent of the total votes cast plus one vote. If there is no candidate with a majority of first choices, the candidate with the fewest votes is defeated and those votes then go to the second choices on each ballot. The votes are recounted, and the process continues until one candidate achieves the required majority.

The proportion of votes needed to win goes down for those offices where more than one person is being elected. These offices include at large park board commissioners, library board trustees and estimate and taxation board members. The “instant runoff” process is the same as for single-seat offices, except that if a candidate receives more votes than needed to win, the “surplus” portion of each vote goes to the next choice on each ballot. This is called proportional voting because it allows more voters to help elect a winner and be represented by someone they voted for.

Election Results for Instant Runoff Voting Question

Aggregate Results from Hennepin County
Precincts Reporting: 100%

Yes

65%
No 35%

Results by Precinct:

Ward - Precinct Yes No
1-1 307 242
1-2 978 684
1-3 901 535
1-4 826 473
1-5 618 446
1-6 742 478
1-7 361 210
1-8 301 216
1-9 548 445
1-10 413 249
2-1 887 203
2-2 1247 357
2-3 630 260
2-4 324 229
2-5 739 278
2-6 516 207
2-7 423 216
2-8 198 135
2-9 375 186
2-10 224 65
2-11 645 429
3-1 486 278
3-2 566 275
3-3 944 456
3-4 577 352
3-5 356 196
3-6 721 452
3-7 249 308
3-8 191 163
3-9 134 125
4-1 372 417
4-2 300 299
4-3 318 280
4-4 610 529
4-5 290 225
4-6 385 377
4-7 444 406
4-8 473 468
4-9 378 369
4-10 221 228
5-1 441 407
5-2 185 162
5-3 233 221
5-4 285 246
5-5 318 257
5-6 390 260
5-7 152 140
5-8 100 101
5-9 108 56
5-10 117 107
6-1 158 80
6-2 1223 410
6-3 773 344
6-4 916 464
6-5 214 127
6-6 188 118
6-7 157 64
6-8 259 155
7-1 994 324
7-2 760 263
7-3 1055 390
7-4 727 303
7-5 842 380
7-6 602 394
7-7 602 332
7-8 1175 546
7-9 413 189
7-10 520 400
7-11 289 129
8-1 268 162
8-2 607 221
8-3 240 210
8-4 359 171
8-5 580 433
8-6 867 363
8-7 802 195
8-8 736 334
8-9 549 310
8-10 864 533
9-1 383 240
9-2 816 401
9-3 134 92
9-4 224 141
9-5 501 234
9-6 550 323
9-7 415 165
9-8 811 415
9-9 666 316
9-10 254 144
9-11 60 27
10-1 899 318
10-2 789 342
10-3 689 301
10-4 455 192
10-5 282 144
10-6 910 395
10-7 706 263
10-8 664 283
10-9 595 279
10-10 861 319
10-11 396 203
11-1 1268 513
11-2 999 459
11-3 476 285
11-4 396 338
11-5 952 541
11-6 847 586
11-7 964 487
11-8 1301 709
11-9 747 638
12-1 1156 484
12-2 969 543
12-3 906 457
12-4 493 296
12-5 948 586
12-6 601 379
12-7 84 38
12-8 1263 740
12-9 572 424
12-10 515 398
12-11 735 397
13-1 727 377
13-2 1176 469
13-3 887 395
13-4 1358 504
13-5 1489 677
13-6 1348 487
13-7 556 204
13-8 812 430
13-9 980 557
13-10 870 511
     
Total 78,741 42,493

Why IRV?

The Problem with the Current Primary System

Minneapolis now uses a nonpartisan two-round voting system to elect city officials. Two winners emerge from primaries for a general election face-off. This supposedly ensures majority (50% + 1) winners in mayoral and city council races. The problem is few voters show up for Round One, the Primary. Only 15% of registered voters turned out in 2005 – undermining the majority-winner requirement. The primary can weed out candidates who could win in a high-turnout general election. The narrower candidate field limits post-primary political debate and causes some losing candidate supporters to sit out the general election.

The current two-round system also leads to negative campaigning, split votes amongst like-minded constituents, and disproportionate representation of voters.

Finally, the current system is costly and inconvenient – the City of Minneapolis administers two elections, candidates run for two elections and voters go to the polls twice.

Why is Instant Runoff better than our current voting system?
In general, Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) is a better voting method than the current two-round – primary and general election – system in that it seeks to:

For a concise summary discussion of the pros and cons of various voting systems, please review the Minnesota League of Women Voters Study on voting methods (PDF).

How IRV Works

Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) is a ranked ballot method of voting that always results in winners chosen by a majority of the voters. On the ballot, voters  rank the candidates in order of preference. Each voter has one vote which counts for the highest preferred candidate that can use it. Votes for defeated candidates are transferred to other candidates still in the race for each round of counting.  It’s just like a series of runoff elections except that it is accomplished on one ballot – hence the term, “Instant Runoff Voting.” 

 sample ballot

While this voting method is commonly referred to as Instant Runoff Voting for single seat elections, the actual method of counting is “Single Transferable Vote” (STV) and can be applied to both single seat elections (i.e., Mayor, City Council, and Park Board Districts) and multi-seat elections (i.e., Park Board at Large, Library Board, and the Board of Estimate and Taxation).  The actual counting of votes is best illustrated with examples of each. 

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FAQ

Questions:

Do you have other questions that aren't answered here?  Email info@BetterBallotCampaign.org for more information.

Answers:

Who opposes Instant Runoff Voting and why?

The only known organized opposition to Instant Runoff Voting is exerted on a state level by Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL), which is a lobby group who views their interests better met under the current plurality system.  They helped defeat the Roseville effort to adopt Instant Runoff Voting.

A few individuals have vocally opposed the Instant Runoff Voting proposal. Questions they raise are addressed below.

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Why not keep our two-election runoff system? 

City Primary elections have persistently low voter turnout, undermining their democratic legitimacy and leading to doubts about whether the “will of the people” has been honored. Instant Runoff Voting increases the likelihood that the ultimate decision will be made at the election with the greatest level of citizen participation and ensures that low turnout elections cannot weed out candidates who could win in a high-turnout general election. Two-round elections are also costly, both to the taxpayers who must pay for the primary election and to the candidates who must fund-raise for two elections. By narrowing the field to two candidates for each office, the current two-round system also leads to polarization and negative campaigning.  Instant Runoff Voting accomplishes the purpose of a two-round system, but without the flaws. By having more candidates in the races, voters will benefit from an enriched public debate. By having just one election, voters who have barriers to getting to the polls due to lack of transportation, child care, limited mobility or time, or other reasons, will benefit from increased convenience.
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Is Instant Runoff Voting constitutional?

Yes. The only Minnesota Supreme Court case on alternative voting methods declared another voting method unconstitutional (NOT Instant Runoff Voting). In its decision, the court gave principles of constitutionality which are met by Instant Runoff Voting.
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Does Instant Runoff Voting give some voters more than one vote?

No. Each ballot only counts as one vote. So, every voter gets only one vote. In each round of counting, all the ballots are counted, not just those that are transferred.
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Does it violate the “one person – one vote” principle?

No. Every voter gets an equal vote. Instant Runoff Voting has been affirmed in court as meeting this principle

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Why can Minneapolis adopt Instant Runoff Voting through a change in city charter and Roseville cannot?

Roseville, Minnesota, attempted to adopt ranked-ballot voting for a special election in 2001 and was not able to win legislative approval for this change.  Roseville’s elections are governed by state law and must win legislative approval because it is not a “home-rule” city with a city charter. Minneapolis, like 106 other Minnesota cities, is a “home-rule” city with a city charter that governs our municipal elections. The Minnesota Supreme Court case mentioned above affirmed that home rule cities may adopt their own voting methods in their charter. The League of Minnesota Cities’ Handbook for Minnesota Cities includes proportional voting as an option for conducting elections in home rule charters.

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Will there be two ballots on Election Day?

No, a ranked ballot will be used for all of the city elections, which are held in odd years and not combined with any other elections. Elections for School Board and for state and federal offices are held in even years.

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You mean Instant Runoff Voting won’t be used to elect school board members? 

That’s correct. School Board elections are governed by state statute, not city charter.

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What happens if I vote for just one candidate?

If you rank only one candidate, your vote will count for that candidate until that candidate is either elected or defeated. But your vote will not help elect any other candidates, since there are no other candidates ranked on the ballot. It’s like going to the primary and not returning to the general election if your candidate has been eliminated. There is no strategic advantage to ranking only one candidate because your vote always counts for your highest ranked candidate who is able to use it.

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Are Instant Runoff Voting, Ranked Choice Voting and Single Transferable Vote the same thing?

The Minneapolis charter amendment being considered in the November 2006 ballot question would adopt “Single Transferable Vote” as the voting method for municipal elections. “Single Transferable Vote” applies to single- and multi-winner elections and is the term with the deepest historical roots and use among political scientists who study voting methods. The term “Instant Runoff Voting” is relatively new. Even newer is “Ranked Choice Voting.” Both were created for the purpose of talking about the use of Single Transferable Vote in single-winner elections, of which there are many in American politics. However, “Instant Runoff Voting” has quickly eclipsed “Single Transferable Vote” in terms of public recognition, and so the campaign uses the terms interchangeably.

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Won’t Instant Runoff Voting be confusing to voters?

A new voting method may be unfamiliar to some voters. However, that need not translate into confusion. An assessment of Instant Runoff Voting in San Francisco following implementation in 2004 showed 87% of the voters surveyed indicated that they understood Instant Runoff Voting either “perfectly well” or “fairly well.” Any change in voting method requires adequate voter education, and there are now model voter education programs for cities adopting Instant Runoff Voting. The Instant Runoff Voting general election ballot will look more like the current primary election ballot with regard to the number of candidates appearing on it. The election officials are charged with creating a ballot format that is clear and helps the voter to cast an effective vote.

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How does Instant Runoff Voting benefit communities of color?

Instant Runoff Voting benefits communities of color by:

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How does Instant Runoff Voting impact major and minor parties?

Instant Runoff Voting helps both third parties and the two major parties. It helps third parties by removing the “don’t waste your vote on a spoiler” millstone from around their necks, allowing them to campaign on their issues rather than answering to the “horse race” odds makers and receive an accurate tally of support. Instant Runoff Voting helps the two major parties by enabling them to get votes back from third party voters in the form of second choices that would count for major party candidates in the event that a major party candidate was not elected in the first round of counting. This means the major parties won’t have their elections spoiled by dividing the vote with a third party.

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Will Instant Runoff Voting eliminate party endorsements?

No. Each political party is in charge of its own endorsement process and Instant Runoff Voting does not affect that. Political parties and candidates for public office may choose to revise their strategies for campaigning under the new voting method. We expect these changes to be positive developments for the political process.

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Where is Instant Runoff Voting used?

Voting methods commonly used in the United States, including in Minneapolis, have been outdated for over a century. Most major democracies updated their voting methods about a century ago. Most emerging democracies today choose modern voting methods over the antiquated methods used in the United States. One of those modern methods, Instant Runoff Voting, has been successfully used for public elections around the world for nearly 100 years, most prominently in Australia, Ireland and more recently in the City of London.

In the United States, ranked-ballot voting has been used in Cambridge (MA) since the 1940s. While the current movement to adopt Instant Runoff Voting in the United States is relatively recent, it is growing rapidly. It is now in used in San Francisco (CA) and Burlington (VT), is pending implementation in nine other U.S. cities and is being considered for use in several other U.S. political jurisdictions. Louisiana, Arkansas and now South Carolina use it for overseas and military voters. Instant Runoff Voting ballot measures are underway in several other U.S. cities and states. Other uses include the Utah Republican Party for both internal elections and for nominating their candidates for U.S. Congress and many U.S. non-governmental organizations, including the American Political Science Association and the Minnesota Student Association at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus. It is a recommended voting method by Robert’s Rules of Order and the Minnesota and Minneapolis League of Woman Voters.

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Does Instant Runoff Voting Work?

Exit poll studies of the 2004 and 2005 San Francisco elections and the 2006 Burlington, Vermont, election demonstrate overwhelming voter support for Instant Runoff Voting.

In San Francisco, the final report of the 2005 election conducted by the Public Research Institute of San Francisco State showed that voters were three times more likely to say voting with Instant Runoff Voting was easy than it was difficult, and preferred Instant Runoff Voting over the old two-round runoff system by a margin of three to one. (http://fairvote.org/media/irv/SFSU-PRIRCVFinalReport.pdf)

In Burlington, the 2006 election exit poll study conducted by the University of Vermont showed that over 63 percent of voters liked the new system and most voters would like to see Instant Runoff Voting expanded to statewide offices. (http://www.betterballotcampaign.org/sites/fairvotemn.org/files/burlington_exit_poll_results.pdf)

In Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Instant Runoff Voting has been in use for multi-seat elections for over 50 years, election officials point to strong voter preference and ease of use. Robert Winters, a member of the Cambridge Technical Working Committee, reports that Cambridge has managed to proportionally represent itself in its local elections since 1941 without any need for single-winner districts or primary elections. The local election method has been accepted by the citizens of Cambridge with minimal objection. Teresa Neighbor, former Executive Director of the Cambridge Election Commission, says that the City of Cambridge has full confidence in its proportional representation style of elections. The vote counting was successfully computerized in 1997, reducing the time for the vote tally from days to minutes. (http://www.betterballotcampaign.org/node/344).

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What will it cost to implement Instant Runoff Voting in Minneapolis?

Equipment issues are complex and rapidly developing. The companies that make voting equipment are private, for-profit ventures and don’t share information freely. Costs must be negotiated between buyer and seller at the time of the transaction. All this is to say that future costs cannot be projected with any certainty. However, there are realistic scenarios to pursue that could keep initial set-up costs to a minimum and likely result in long-term savings from holding one election instead of two.

The recommended long-term scenario is to work with the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners to replace our existing precinct-based optical scanners with the same type of scanners equipped to process ranked ballots used in Instant Runoff Voting. This would be done on the normal replacement schedule (sometime between 2015 and 2020), or as soon as the County Board is ready to make that replacement. This could very well happen without any additional costs due to Instant Runoff Voting.

There are municipal elections scheduled for 2009 and 2013. If the City Council decides the city cannot be ready to implement the new method in those elections, they will have the option under the proposed charter amendment to put off implementation by passing an ordinance stating the reasons why the city will not be ready. However, there are simple and inexpensive ways to implement the new voting system for 2009 and 2013.

In the short term, the existing precinct-based optical scanners could be used without modification to count first choices, provide error protection to voters, and name any winners who could be determined by a count of first choices. For those elections where further rounds of counting were needed, the city could buy or lease a few high-speed ranked ballot scanners to process all the ballots in a central location. The additional cost would be a fraction of what the city would save by not holding a primary election.

Voter education should be guided by the experiences of San Francisco and Burlington. A recently released report from the Public Research Institute at San Francisco State University shows that fewer than half of voters in the first citywide elections in San Francisco knew about instant runoff voting before they voted but only 2% found it "very difficult" and more than 99.6% of voters cast valid ballots. Similarly, exit polls during Burlington’s first IRV elections for Mayor in March 2006 show that the vast majority of voters learned about IRV from free media, far more than learning from publicly-funded voter education activity; still, the voter success rate was 99.9%. We believe the biggest keys are good ballot design and effective poll worker training.

According to the most recent report from the Minneapolis elections director, ranked ballots will be longer and cost more to print and that more training for election judges may be required at first, but that the additional costs are not expected to exceed the savings.

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How do we adopt a new voting method?

City elections are governed by the Minneapolis City Charter, which can be changed by the approval of the voters. The Better Ballot Campaign has succeeded in getting the City Council to ask the voters on the November 2006 ballot if they want to approve Instant Runoff Voting for city elections. A “yes” vote from 51% of those voting on the question is needed to adopt the amendment.

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Can a 501c3 nonprofit organization get involved in the Better Ballot Campaign? I thought they were prohibited from engaging in electoral activity.

Short answer: Yes! IRS regulations prohibit 501c3 organizations from electioneering or advocating for or against particular political candidates or political parties. However, ballot measures are not considered elections by the IRS. A ballot measure is a piece of legislation and the voters are the legislative body. Activity on a ballot measure is the equivalent of lobbying on a bill at the Capitol. Within limits, 501c3 organizations are allowed to lobby on legislation. That’s why 501c3 organizations may endorse the Better Ballot Campaign proposal and support the campaign in other ways.

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Will ballots be more difficult to audit using Instant Runoff Voting?

Instant Runoff Voting does not require touchscreen voting and is used in several cities and other nations, all on paper ballots. The audit trail is better with ranked ballot voting. “Dumb” scanners, like the ones we have now, just click up the totals for each candidate as the paper ballot goes through the scanner. “Smart” scanners, like those used for Instant Runoff Voting, record the ballot image of each ballot – an electronic backup of every ballot, and a way to compare the paper ballots with the electronic copies. The software reports each stage of the count and can even tell you how each ballot was counted in each round. As an election integrity matter, we should upgrade our scanners even if we don’t switch to IRV.

Get Involved

There are many ways you can help ensure the success of the Better Ballot Campaign:

  1. Help lit drop. It couldn't be easier, or more helpful. We need to get our message out city wide.  Please pick up a bag of lit and a route in your ward and help IRV win in November!  Find the lit pick up location in your ward.  You don't need to live in Minneapolis to help! If you would like to see IRV pass in Minneapolis, please help lit drop to make sure voters know about IRV.
  2. Pair up with another Better Ballot Campaign volunteer to street canvass at strategic locations in Minneapolis, including the coops, Hennepin and Lake and other locations. For a schedule of site and times, and to sign up to canvass, contact info@betterballotcampaign.org. If there's a corner or location near your house that gets high traffic, feel free to volunteer to street canvass that, too. We'll get you the necessary materials.
  3. Host or co-host a house party.
  4. Make a financial contribution to the campaign.
  5. Write a letter to the editor and a commentary to your community paper.
  6. Talk to others about the Instant Runoff Voting campaign.
  7. Sign up to endorse advanced voting methods like IRV and PR.

Email info@BetterBallotCampaign.org if you want to become involved in the Better Ballot Campaign in any of these ways, would like to be involved in other ways, or have any questions.


IRV In Your Neighborhood

Help educate your neighborhood about Instant Runoff Voting. If we haven't met with your neighborhood yet, call to schedule a presentation. Click on your neighborhood below to find out when it meets and who to contact.  Then contact us at info@betterballotcampaign.org to arrange a speaker.  

See map of Minneapolis neighborhoods.

NEIGHBORHOOD

MADE PRESENTATION

ENDORSED CAMPAIGN

Armatage Yes  Yes
Audubon Park

Bancroft

Beltrami

Bottineau

Bryant

Bryn Mawr

Yes

CARAG

Webber-Camden

Cedar-Riverside

Cedar-Isles-Dean

Central

Cleveland

Columbia Park

Corcoran

Downtown East, West

East Harriet

Yes

Yes

East Isles

East Calhoun

Yes

East Phillips

Elliot Park

Field, Regina, Northrop

Yes

Yes

Folwell

Fuller Tangletown

Yes

Fulton

Yes

Yes

Hale, Page, Diamond

Harrison

Hawthorne

Holland

Yes

Yes

Jordan

Yes

Kenny

Kenwood

Yes

Kingfield

Yes

Yes

Lind-Bohanon

Linden Hills

Yes

Yes

Logan Park

Longfellow

Yes

Yes

Loring Park

Yes

Lowry Hill

Lowry Hill East

Lyndale

Yes

Yes

Lynnhurst

Yes

Yes

Marcy-Holmes

Marshall Terrace

McKinley

Yes

Midtown Phillips

Nicollet Island/East Bank

Yes

Nokomis East

Yes

North Loop

Northeast Park

Near North, Willard-Hay

Powderhorn Park

Yes

Yes

Prospect Park

Seward

Sheridan

Shingle Creek

Southeast Como

Yes

St. Anthony West

St. Anthony East

Standish Ericsson

Yes

Stevens Square

Sumner-Glenwood

Ventura Village

Victory

Yes

Waite Park

West Calhoun

Phillips West

Whittier

Yes

Windom

Yes

Windom Park

Yes

Yes

Lit drop

Help get IRV literature out to voters across the city.  This is a top priority for the campaign and we need lots of volunteers to get the job done!

We've organized lit dropping to be easy, flexible and convenient - bags of lit and a route are available at any time on porches at pick up locations in each ward.  

Each route takes between 1 to 2 hours and you can pick up a route anytime, any day. Go by yourself, with a friend or a group of friends - however you want to do it.  There's a sign-in form at each site - let us know who you are and which route you are going on.  If you have time another day, come back for another route!

Here is a list of pick up locations for all of the wards.  

Ward 1: Mandy Tempel's: 1706 Tyler St NE

Ward 2: DONE!!

Ward 3: Dakotah Johnson's: 319 12th Ave SE

Ward 4: Done through newspaper inserts

Ward 5: Done through newspaper inserts

Ward 6: Contact info@betterballotcampaign.org to get literature to distribute in your apartment building.

Ward 7: Brian Melendez's: 1777 Dupont Ave S
Literature for apartments in Ward 7 available at this location as well. Or contact info@betterballotcampaign.org and we'll deliver lit to you.

Ward 8: DONE!!

Ward 9: DONE!!

Ward 10: Mary Hartnett's: 2533 Colfax Ave S

Ward 11: Jason Stone's: 1708 57th St E (enter the fenced back yard and pick up lit from the back porch)

Ward 12: DONE!!

Ward 13: Lynnell Mickelsen's: 4233 Linden Hills Blvd

NOTE: If you live in an apartment, contact info@betterballotcampaign to get literature to distribute in your building.  

Questions? Contact Eric Pusey at info@betterballotcampaign or 651- 503-3062.

 

Host a House Party

Hosting your own Better Ballot Campaign house party is a great way to get your friends excited and spread the word about instant runoff voting on the November 2006 ballot in Minneapolis.  The campaign will provide a speaker and help with getting it organized.  It's fun and easy:

Before the Party: 

  1. Hosting -- Find one or more co-hosts for the event to broaden the invitation list and share the responsibility - all the better if your city and/or state elected officials can co-host.
  2. Dates -- Find a few dates on your calendar that you think would work and email the Better Ballot Campaign at info@betterballotcampaign.org to coordinate a date for a speaker.
  3. Invitations -- Invite everyone you know!  Send out invitations by email or evite to friends, neighbors, elected officials representing your area, candidates running for office and others to inform them about an opportunity to learn about the Better Ballot Campaign. 
  4. Advertising --  If you wish, the Better Ballot campaign can post the event announcement on its calendar, the Minneapolis Issues Forum, Progressive Calendar, and communications through our coalition partners.  Please forward announcement to info@betterballotcampaign.org.
  5. Plan a Demonstration Election -- A demonstration election using food at the party is an excellent way to illustrate how Instant Runoff Voting works.  Desserts are good on the ballot, but you can vote on appetizers, wine, lasagnas, pastries (if you host a breakfast event), or whatever. Once you decide, ask 4 people to contribute whatever is on the ballot, cut into bite-size pieces in sufficient quantities for all attendees to sample each.  You will thus have four candidates on the ballot and guests will be asked to vote on the candidates in order of preference – 1, 2, 3, etc.

    Recruit a couple of people at the party to coordinate the demonstration election – make sure everyone completes a ballot.  Then collect and count the ballots and report the results.

The Better Ballot Campaign will provide training or on-site help if you need. Just contact us at info@betterballotcampaign.org.

  1. Print forms -- Download and print the following forms to use at the party (email info@betterballotcampaign.org if you have trouble opening any of the documents).

 

At the party:
Following is a typical party format, but feel free to be creative and do something different.

Start time 6:30 (may vary): 

  • Sign-in and sign petition
  • Mingle, eat, and drink
  • Sample desserts (or whatever is on the ballot)
  • Vote in the demonstration election

About 7:15      

  • 20 minute presentation and Q&A about Instant Runoff Voting and the Better Ballot Campaign (speakers provided)
  • Demonstration election votes are tallied during the presentation and presented at the end.

Rest of the night   

  • Continue the fun!
  • Make sure everyone signed in and collect any additional signatures

After the Party:

  1. Email a brief summary of the event (including attendance count and names of people who couldn’t attend but indicated they want to learn more or be involved) to info@betterballotcampaign.org.
  2. Send sign-in sheets and notarized petition pages to
    Better Ballot Campaign
    3606 Harriet Ave. S.
    Minneapolis MN 55409
  3. Bask in the glory of knowing you've done your part to improve democracy in Minneapolis!

Donate

Please consider making a financial contribution ($25, $50, $100, $500, more -- everything helps) to help ensure the success of the Minneapolis Better Ballot Campaign.

U.S. Mail:

Better Ballot Campaign      
3606 Harriet Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55409

Contribute Online:

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Endorsers

Better Ballot Campaign

Individuals

Minneapolis and Minnesota Organizations

Nonprofit and Civic Organizations

Media

Political Parties

Neighborhood Associations

Labor Organizations

Community Businesses

Luminaries

Elected Officials

Federal Office
Michael Cavlan, U.S. Senate
Keith Ellison, U.S. House of Representatives, CD 5
Jay Pond, U.S. House of Representatives, CD 5
Tammy Lee, U.S. House of Representatives, CD 5

Hennepin County
Gregory Gray, Commissioner, District 2
Gail Dorfman, Commissioner, District 3
Farheen Hakeem, Commissioner, District 4
Peter McLaughlin, Commissioner, District 4
Mike Freeman, County Attorney
Andy Luger, County Attorney


Better Ballot Campaign Resources

One-Stop Documents (also available elsewhere on the site)

General Information (not available elsewhere on the site)

About Us

The Better Ballot Campaign is a non-partisan, broad-based charter amendment initiative to bring Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) to Minneapolis.

Contact Information

info@BetterBallotCampaign.org
http://BetterBallotCampaign.org

Better Ballot Campaign
3606 Harriet Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55409
(612) 850-6897

Click here for Media Contact Information 

Minneapolis Better Ballot Campaign Board of Advisors

  • Don Fraser – Former Minneapolis Mayor
  • Scott Dibble – State Senator
  • Keith Ellison – State Representative
  • Frank Hornstein – State Representative
  • Neva Walker – State Representative
  • Phyllis Kahn – State Representative
  • Gail Dorfman – Hennepin County Commissioner
  • Jim Moore – Chair, Independence Party
  • Darrell Gerber – Green Party, Former 5th Congressional District Chair
  • David Weinlick – Chair, Mpls DFL Party
  • Walter Rockenstein – Former Minneapolis City Council member and partner in the Faegre & Benson law firm
  • Jim Niland – Legislative & Political Action Director, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and Former City Council Member
  • Tony Solgard - President, FairVote Minnesota
  • David Brauer – Journalist, Former Editor Southwest and Downtown Journals and List Manager of the Minneapolis Issues Forum
  • Rachel Bartleson – Executive Director, Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG)
  • Mohamed Jibrell – Chair, Confederation of Somali Communities and Director, DFL State Executive Committee
  • Jorge Saavedra – Former Lead Attorney, Centro Legal and Board Member of the Resource Center of the Americas
  • Cara Letofsky –  Political and community organizer and 2005 Candidate for Minneapolis City Council
  • Mary Lou Hill, League of Women Voters of Minneapolis

Organizing Committee

  • Bill Barnett
  • David Brauer
  • Darrell Gerber
  • Jay L Hatlen Linnell
  • Christopher Hassett
  • Kevin Kinneavy
  • Shaun Laden
  • Ani Loizzo
  • Jeanne Massey
  • Kelly O'Brien
  • Eric Pusey
  • Jim Ramnaraine
  • Carol Rudie
  • Tony Solgard
  • Amanda Tempel
  • Leif Utne
  • Tina Wade

 

Media Contacts

Kelly O’Brien: kellyobrien@visi.com; (612) 227-9102
Tony Solgard: tony.solgard@fairvotemn.org; (763) 807-2550
Jeanne Massey: info@betterballotcampaign.org; 612-850-6897