Supporters of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV)
Elected officials, organizations and community members who support Ranked Choice Voting are featured below. Fill out the form linked below if you or your organization would like to be added to the list of supporters.
Elected Officials and Candidates
“Ranked Choice Voting is one of the ways to make sure people feel like their vote is being counted, feel like it really matters, increases participation and gives us better trust in our democracy. So I fully support it.” Governor Walz also supports RCV because it discourages negative campaigning and forces candidates to focus on what they're going to do if elected, which is “healthy for the democracy.” — Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota
WATCH TIM’S VIDEO ON WHY HE SUPPORTS RCV TO IMPROVE VOTER SATISFACTION.
WATCH TIM’S VIDEO OF WHY HE SUPPORTS RCV TO DISCOURAGE NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING.
“Ranked Choice Voting removes barriers to participation and forces us to grapple with difficult issues together. When more voices are included at the decision making table... that’s a very good thing.” — Peggy Flanagan, Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
“Ranked choice voting encourages more diverse candidates to run. It brings more voters into the process. It fosters problem-solving for the greater good, and discourages the rigid, hostile politics we see so often today.” — Keith Ellison, Attorney General of Minnesota
“I have been a strong supporter of Ranked Choice Voting and the rights of states and local governments to choose RCV to elect their representatives.” — Tina Smith, US Senator
“Ranked Choice Voting has been tested across the country and Maine just sent their first member to Congress using this system. It’s time we start investing in and expanding Ranked Choice Voting. It’s simple, empowers voters, and rewards candidates who broaden support beyond their base.” — Dean Phillips, US Representative
Watch Dean’s video on why he supports Ranked Choice Voting.
“Ranked choice voting is an antidote to so much of the divisiveness that is threatening our democracy. It encourages broad coalition building, discourages negative campaigning, and gets rid of the spoiler problem. It is exactly what we need in this moment for a stronger democracy.” — Kelly Morrison, Candidate for Congress
Watch Kelly’s video on why he supports Ranked Choice Voting.
“Ranked choice voting empowers voters by giving us more choice at the ballot box and ensuring every voice is heard. It strengthens our democracy by making it more inclusive and equitable, encouraging more diverse candidates to run and allowing voters to support candidates who reflect their values without fear of wasting their vote. By requiring candidates to appeal to a majority of voters, RCV reduces the influence of extremism and helps foster a more civil political environment where cooperation and respect prevail. Together, we can build a democracy where every vote counts, and every voter has the power to shape the future of our state.” — Alice Mann, State Senator (SD50)
“I’m voting NO on the repeal of Ranked Choice Voting because I support positive campaigning where candidates focus on bringing forward community solutions.” — Melissa H. Wiklund, State Senator (SD51)
“I’ve long been a supporter of ranked choice voting because it provides an incentive for politicians to reach out beyond their narrow political ‘base’ of voters for support and discourages negative campaigning. With RCV, the winners are more likely to be the kind of pragmatic and non-ideological politicians who are willing to reach out across the aisle to forge a consensus around practical solutions to important problems.” — Steve Elkins, State Representative (50B)
Watch Steve’s video on why he supports Ranked Choice Voting.
“Having run in two city council elections — one before and one after the adoption of Ranked Choice Voting — I've seen the difference, and I believe RCV has been a positive step for Bloomington. It makes it harder for someone to skate into office with a very small percentage of the vote, while also ensuring the widest possible variety of choices is available to voters. Importantly, it also eliminates the use of a primary, which not only costs taxpayer money to run, but usually results in turnout that is, frankly, abysmal. That is simply not the way to set the November ballot. Ranked choice voting is a way to better reflect the actual will of the voters. I hope you'll join me in voting No on the repeal of Ranked Choice Voting.” —Nathan Coulter, State Representative (51B)
“Ranked Choice Voting can strengthen our democracy by engaging more voters in our local elections. I support RCV and encourage Bloomington voters to join me.” — Michael Howard, State Representative (51A)
“We want our elected leaders to be responsive, solutions-oriented, and supported by the majority of voters; it's how we define democracy. This is why I support ranked-choice voting (RCV), a system where the winner is elected only after receiving a marginal blessing from more than 50% of voters. RCV is exceptionally fair, promotes civility, and ensures our elected leadership truly reflects who we are as a state.” — Julie Greene, Candidate for State Representative (50A)
“I am a proponent of Ranked Choice Voting in Bloomington. Not only does Ranked Choice Voting allow for more inclusive and fair outcomes, it is also more efficient. We typically had very low voter turnout in the primary elections. Ranked Choice Voting moved us to one election that results in outcomes that are more reflective of what the majority of voters want, while saving taxpayer dollars. It also helps increase viability for lesser known candidates and encourage candidates to focus on the issues rather than the politics.” — Jenna Carter, Bloomington City Councilmember At-Large
Watch Jenna’s 2020 video on why she supports Ranked Choice Voting.
“I support Ranked Choice Voting because it adds more voices to the democratic process, eliminates the need for costly and low-turnout primary elections, and ensures that the winner of the election garners support from a majority of the voters.” — Tom Bennett, Bloomington School Board Member
“Ranked choice voting is just simply good for democracy. I want our elections to be as fair as possible and RCV helps bring that fairness to our electoral system. It’s a good thing.” — Matt Dymoke, Bloomington School Board Member
“I support Ranked Choice Voting because it allows more moderate candidates to run and reduces extremism by eliminating the low-turnout primary and requiring winners to earn a majority of voter support.” — Heather Starks, Bloomington School Board Member
“Ranked-choice voting helps make our elections fairer and more accessible.” — Heather Edelson, Hennepin County Commissioner
“I support ranked choice voting. Change is always hard, but I think ranked choice voting is a fairer voting process because voters have more candidate choices and the winners are supported by a majority of voters.” — Debbie Goettel, Hennepin County Commissioner
Former Elected Officials and Candidates
“Ranked Choice Voting is designed to lower the level of bitter partisan and personal attacks and shift the focus to a more civil discussion of public policy. Democracies depend on an election system that elevates the public discourse and attracts the best and brightest. Ranked Choice Voting puts us on the right path.” — Arne Carlson (R), Former Republican Governor of MN
“Ranked Choice Voting is more inclusive and encourages more candidates to run with diverse backgrounds and perspectives which in turn, ensures our elections more fully represent and reflect the people and provide the leadership we need for our communities to thrive.” — Melisa Franzen, Former MN Senator (SD49)
Watch Melisa’s Video about Ranked Choice VOting in Spanish.
“There are many electoral reforms that need to happen, but I place Ranked Choice Voting at the top of the list.” — Tim Penny (I), former US Congressman and 2002 Independence Party Candidate for MN Governor
“I’m proud to support Ranked Choice Voting for my community. It makes our local elections more inclusive, engages more voters, and fosters civil campaigns focused on the issues. We need leaders at all levels who prioritize problem-solving and working together to get things done, and that is exactly what RCV encourages. I will be voting NO on Repeal.” — Andrew Carlson, Former MN Representative (50B)
“We will only get better public policy when we have better politics, and no reform is more important to our political system than Ranked Choice Voting. It is the path to new and innovative candidates and more thoughtful, substantive campaigns.” — Tom Horner (I), 2010 Independence Party Candidate for MN Governor and Durenberger's press secretary and chief of staff
“Ranked Choice Voting can reduce polarization in our electoral politics. Rewarding candidates who campaign for the support of all voters keeps the focus on the issues rather than demonizing opponents. Ranked Choice Voting also fosters civility by giving voters more choices and by providing every candidate with an opportunity to build broad, inclusive coalitions of support. Ranked Choice Voting is a proven system helping all of us create a more perfect union.” — Mark Ritchie, Former Secretary of State of Minnesota
“In my years in public office, I always strived to make local government more effective, inclusive and accessible, and to look for ways to do things better. Ranked Choice Voting is an improvement to our local elections that eliminates costly, low-participation primaries, elects winners with broad support in a single high turnout election in November, and encourages local officials to work in a smart, collaborative manner to get things done. RCV is a good government tool.” — Coral Houle, Former Bloomington Mayor
“I support Ranked Choice Voting as a way to increase participation in city elections and save time and money by having only one election instead of two.” — Karen Nordstrom, Former Bloomington City Council Member
Academic and Civic Leaders
Dr. Michael Osterholm, State Epidemiologist and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota
Dr. Michael Minta, Professor of Political Science, University of Minnesota
Nelly Korman, Bloomington Community Member
Mia Olson, Bloomington Community Member
Dawn Steigauf, Bloomington Community Member
Community Members
Meg: More Candidate Choices
Marcia: Saves Money, More Inclusive, and Decreases Extremism
Anita: Candidates Focus on the Issues
Sharon: Saves Money by Eliminating the Primary
Dylan: My Vote Counts
Gretchen: Efficient and Popular
Daniel Aamot
Lyle Abeln
Jon Abrahamson
Grant Abrams
Laurie Aho
Tom Alcivar
Karen Alonzi
Mike Anderson
Amanda Angus
Susan Antby
Steven Appelhans
Michelle Arulfo
Ron Barnes
Kenyon Barnette
Ben Batko
Kevin Batko
Eric Bavier
Maria Bavier
Barb Becker
Liz Beckmann
Rachel Biggs
Sharon Billings
Mykell Branch
Louise Brask
Vicki Breese
Douglas Bruce
Ashley Bulow
Philip Burke
Nancy Butler
Laura Calbone
Jacob Carroll
Nicholas Chiquoine
Lisa Christensen
Steve Clarke
Tegan Conway
Steve Cope
Nan Corliss
Abby Countryman
Marcie Coval
Gianna DaGiau
Kay M Dennis
Christopher Diller
Jon Doty
Marcia Dragt
John Ehrenfeld
Pat Ekstrom
Judy Elkins
Steve Elkins
Kathy Emery
Clare Engelhart
Kathleen Fahnhorst
Stefanie Flasch
Jennifer Fricton
Josiah Fricton
Chris Gabel
Becka Giesen
Tom Giesen
Sarah Granger
Curtis Griesel
Kelly Hankes
Mike Hankes
Laura Hannemann
Timothy Hannemann
Clay Harris
Dennis Haskin
Roberta Haskin
Andrew Havens
Nikki Havens
Hiedi Hecker
Stacy Hodgson
Sandra Hoffstrom
Nick Holtan
Emma Holtan
Anne Holzman
Bob Huber
Patricia Hughes
Elizabeth Hunter
John Hunter
Linnea Huynh
Ryan Jackson
Scott Jameson
Donna Johnson
Caitlyn Johnson
Tom Jonas
Leah Jones
Kasey Kane
Chris Karel
Blaine Kelley
Dorette Kerian
Bayley Keyport
Sarah King
Chris Kinner
Matthew Klun
Josh Knutson
Katie Knutson
Emily Lassiter
Richard Laybourn
Pat Laybourn
Matt Lee
Dale Lewellyn
Elaine Lewellyn
Cathe Lewis
Sue Ley
Suzanne Long
Lynn Lundeberg
Johnathon McClellan
Barbara Marick
Gerald Marick
Rob Meany
Sonia Merten
Joe Meuwissen Sr.
Pat Meyer
Sarah Meyer
Barbara Miller
Hannah Mitchell
Yahye Mohamed
Ted Moore
Michael Moriarity
Sally Morton
Andrea Nelson-Grace
Noah Nieting
Natalie Oleson
Jon Oleson
David Olson
Grace Olson
Brad Parker
Brad Parker
Julie Paulson
Daniel Pearson
Dylan Pedersen
Anne Peek
Damaris Perez Ramirez
Carolyn Philstrom
Rory Philstrom
Kay Pickett
Angie Poetter
Emily Pollack
Jorge Popoca-Santana
Mark Powell
Jaime Quarve
James Quiggle
Jeanne Raymond
Michael Reinhardt
Deb Riebel
Erin Rohne
Adam Rusinak
Chris Saffert
Basha Salah
Jane Sandness
Tim Sandry
Andrea Sasseville
George Schaaf
Nancy Schaaf
Kelly Schoenhofen
Ani Schroeder
Christina Shaw
Sarah Shepherd
Ann Shields
Joanne Sienko Ott
Michele Simonet
Anita Smithson
Joe Smithson
Barb Speedling
Joe Stenglein
Lisa Stirratt
Jesse Stubbins
Sean Sutton
Benjamin Sutton
Mark Swanson
Margaret M. Swanson
Jenny Taffe
Dan Tanner
Eric Teresa
Steven Thai
John Thompson
Lori Thomson
Lisa Thorpe
Caitlin Thorpe
Pat Treseler
Mike Tveite
Gary Vig
Tyler Vigen
Heidi Voss
Patrick Voytasovich
Alanna Walen
Kim Walker
Marcia Wattson
Mike White
Timothy Wiech
Sharon Wildfang
Peter Willemin
Dave Willemin
Julianne Willemin
Monica Williams
Karen Wills
River Wilson
Mary Winkels
Vicki Wisniewski
Gretchen Wronka
Kassandra Wulf
David Zarkin
Carol Zazubek