FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Ross Sherman, RepresentUs Media Relations Manager, 207-749-2660, rsherman@represent.us
In the past week, governors from both parties have vetoed legislation that would ban Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in their states. Following North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum’s (R) veto of an anti-RCV bill last week, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) followed suit by vetoing similar legislation Wednesday. The Arizona bill would have outlawed any attempt to pass RCV in the state, including any citizen-initiated ballot initiative.
Gov. Burgum called the legislation an “egregious example of state overreach” that “blatantly infringes on local control”, while Gov. Hobbs called RCV an “election process that is used successfully elsewhere in the country”. And she’s right: Despite an uptick in recent attacks, RCV continues to sweep the nation. According to FairVote, RCV is currently reaching 13 million voters in 63 cities, counties and states in the United States. Minnesota, Vermont and Oregon are all currently considering bills to adopt RCV statewide. Following crowded, costly mayoral elections in Denver and Chicago, there’s momentum for RCV in those major cities.
RepresentUs CEO Joshua Graham Lynn issued the following statement in response:
“This is a major victory for the nationwide movement to give voters better choices and representation in government. And it clearly shows what we already know: Ranked Choice Voting is neither pro-Democrat nor pro-Republican. It simply ensures that candidates have to appeal to a majority of voters to win elections. Is that so crazy?
“Major kudos to our partners at Voter Choice Arizona for mobilizing the support necessary to ensure this victory. As they’ve been saying, nearly 70% of Arizona voters don’t believe their politicians are delivering for them. RCV is one of the most powerful tools available to reduce political polarization. When we pass RCV, elected officials will be better able to focus on issues that actually matter to voters instead of engaging in the hopeless partisan food fight.”
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