FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Ross Sherman, RepresentUs Media Relations Manager, 207-749-2660, rsherman@represent.us
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Fort Collins will become the largest city in Colorado to use Ranked Choice Voting. Media outlets called the results for Measure 2C Tuesday night, which will give voters better choices at the ballot box and better representation in city government. Everyday Coloradans led this effort, bringing Colorado one step closer to statewide adoption.
“This is a huge victory for Fort Collins voters,” said RepresentUs Campaign Advisor Anna Scanlon. “Because of the tireless work of our partners at RCV for Fort Collins and others, hundreds of thousands of voters will have a government that represents them – not special interests or political parties.”
Momentum for RCV is building in Colorado. Boulder adopted RCV in 2020, followed by Broomfield in 2021. More than 200,000 Coloradans now live in cities that use RCV. In a state where the plurality of voters aren’t registered with a major party, it’s clear that Coloradans want better choices at the ballot box.
Robbie Moreland, management lead for Ranked Choice Voting for Fort Collins, told the Coloradoan, “We did everything we could possibly do to educate people on ranked-choice voting… [RCV passed] because people now understand it and they want candidates to win with a majority.”
The victory in Fort Collins is proof that the anti-corruption movement's strategy works: building community power to win local victories and spark momentum for statewide and federal change. Community leaders started organizing almost half a decade ago as a RepresentUs chapter. Through working on different initiatives and gaining experience, they built the grassroots power needed to pass a law that will improve representation in city government.
Talking about how RCV will help her community, volunteer Lauren Zitney said, “We'll have representation that better aligns with the desires of our residents! Who doesn't want that? Isn't that what democracy is all about? Fair representation. RCV is such a simple upgrade to the way that we do things, and requiring candidates to receive at least 50% of the vote to win seems so obviously fair that it's almost funny we don't do it already.”
Volunteer Janet Schultz added, “I have done months of canvassing in our community this past year. The vast majority of my conversations with folks that are completely new to RCV always have a ‘light bulb’ moment. They specifically love that RCV would allow them to vote with their heart first and then their head second, thus making the concept of a ‘wasted vote’ or ‘holding your nose and voting’ a thing of the past.”
Fort Collins joined Evanston, Illinois in passing RCV on Tuesday. Key RCV initiatives in Nevada, Portland, Ore. and Seattle have yet to be called. RepresentUs and our partners have now notched 163 victories that take power away from politicians and give it to the American voters – where it belongs.
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RepresentUs is America’s leading nonpartisan organization fighting to protect and strengthen democracy. We unite unlikely allies from across the political spectrum who put country over party to pass pro-democracy laws, fight corruption, and defeat authoritarian threats. We have won more than 160 victories in cities and states across America since our founding 10 years ago. Each win is one step closer to our vision of making America the world’s strongest democracy.