Better Ballot Action Alert - Feb. 21, 2008

HELP US TODAY! Please contact your city council member to urge her/him to push for instant runoff voting (IRV) implementation in 2009. Doing so will make us a model for the rest of the state and country. Minneapolis citizens voted for IRV in 2006. If the city doesn’t issue an RFP soon for voting equipment for the 2009 IRV election, we may have to wait until 2013—a full seven years after we approved IRV!

Background:

The main hurdle to implementing IRV in 2009 is the selection and certification of voting equipment. Three viable options have been presented to the city, but none of them is certified for use in Minneapolis, a process that can take more than 12 months. If the city doesn’t act soon to select an equipment vendor for a 2009 IRV election, the window for certification will close and the will of the voters will not be honored. Click here for more details about the status of IRV implementation. The City’s Elections Committee next meets on Thursday, February 28.

ACTION:

1) Contact your city council member this week and ask them to do everything they can to make an IRV election possible in 2009.

2) Attend the February 28th Elections Committee meeting – 9:30 am in the City Hall Council Chamber. This is a meeting of the whole council, chaired by Council Member Glidden.

Talking points:

1) Thank your council member for all the work the city has done so far to implement IRV, including your council member’s vote to put the charter amendment on the ballot in 2006 (all council members but Barb Johnson voted to put IRV on the ballot)

2) Ask the council to take immediate next steps to develop and submit a request for proposals for the acquisition of IRV-capable equipment to run the 2009 election. The RFP should include an opportunity for community input.

3) Urge the council to work with the Secretary of State to actively and urgently address barriers to timely certification of voting equipment.

Please contact your city council member today! Your message will remind him or her that with enough political will IRV can be successfully implemented for 2009. If you don’t know what ward you live in, go here: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/about/maps/ward-finder.asp.

Ward 1: Paul Ostrow, paul.ostrow@ci.minneapolis.mn.us, 612-673-2201

Ward 2: Cam Gordon, cam.gordon@ci.minneapolis.mn.us, 612-673-2202

Ward 3: Diane Hofstede, diane.hofstede@ci.minneapolis.mn.us, 612-673-2203

Ward 4: Barb Johnson, barb.johnson@ci.minneapolis.mn.us, 612-673-2204

Ward 5: Don Samuels, don.samuels@ci.minneapolis.mn.us, 612-673-2205

Ward 6: Robert Lilligren, robert.lilligren@ci.minneapolis.mn.us, 612-673-2206

Ward 7: Lisa Goodman, lisa.goodman@ci.minneapolis.mn.us, 612-673-2207

Ward 8: Elizabeth Glidden, elizabeth.glidden@ci.minneapolis.mn.us, 612-673-2208

Ward 9: Gary Schiff, gary.schiff@ci.minneapolis.mn.us, 612-673-2209

Ward 10: Ralph Remington, ralph.remington@ci.minneapolis.mn.us, 612-673-2210

Ward 11: Scott Benson, scott.benson@ci.minneapolis.mn.us, 612-673-2211

Ward 12: Sandy Colvin-Roy, sandy.colvinroy@ci.minneapolis.mn.us, 612-673-2212

Ward 13: Betsy Hodges, betsy.hodges@ci.minneapolis.mn.us, 612-673-2213

Please let us know how your council member responded by e-mailing us at info@fairvotemn.org.

Thank you!