The campaign for Instant Run-off Voting (IRV) in Saint Paul kicked-off on Wednesday evening, July 22nd. The event came just a few weeks after the Minnesota Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling that IRV voting is legal and Constitutional.

About 150 supporters of IRV attended the reception at the home of William Moyers. Speakers included Saint Paul councilmember’s Melvin Carter and Russ Stark who spoke about the positive changes to campaigns and elections that IRV would bring to Saint Paul. 

Ellen Brown, chairman of the Saint Paul Better Ballot campaign, which is the campaign organization to get IRV passed in November welcomed the guests and gave a simple and clear explanation on how Instant Runoff Voting works.

See MPR coverage of the event.

The event attracted people of all political persuasions and walks of life, and raised over $4,000 for the campaign to pass IRV in Saint Paul.

Coordinator for the Better Ballot Campaign, Dakotah Rea, circulated amongst the crowd recruiting volunteers who want to have house parties, attend events, and work to support passage of IRV on November 3rd.

The event also featured a real-live demonstration of Instant Runoff Voting. Attendees were asked to vote in rank choice their preference of desserts, with key lime pie coming out the winner over chocolate cake and strawberry cheesecake.

The kick-off event will be the first of several activities this summer and fall that will bring the campaign for Instant Run-off Voting to the people of Saint Paul. If you’d like more information, or want to volunteer to help pass IRV, please visit www.stpaul.betterballotcampaign.org.