December 14, 2016
FairVote Minnesota works for better democracy through public education and advocacy. It focuses on progressive voting systems that lead to greater competitiveness, better representation and more participation in elections. It advocates for voting systems with a demonstrated record of success in producing these qualities such as Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in single-winner and multiple-winner elections. RCV is one of the most significant political reforms in generations and FairVote Minnesota is at the forefront of the movement. Thanks to support from Voqal, FairVote Minnesota built on its past success in Minneapolis and St. Paul and worked to pass a local options bill authorizing local jurisdiction to use RCV during the 2016 legislative session.
FairVote Minnesota’s local options bill saw real momentum in 2016. The bill was introduced with bipartisan authorship in both chambers just before the committee deadlines and was held over for hearings until the 2017 session. FairVote Minnesota gathered over 1,500 signatures in support of the bill in 2015 and 2016 and delivered personalized letters to legislators to increase support for the bill in the legislature. This grassroots work on behalf of the local option bills ensured legislators heard about the importance of the measure directly from their constituents. This, along with several key endorsements from individuals like Representatives Erik Simonson and organizations like Voqal grantee TakeAction MN, has laid the groundwork to get a local option bill passed in 2017.
Voqal believes voter participation is vital to a socially equitable society. RCV and its goal of making voting easier and more accessible is important to increasing voting. Voqal applauds FairVote Minnesota’s tireless advocacy on behalf of RCV and is proud to have supported its work in 2016.