By Maggie Astor

It was the first state to adopt ranked-choice voting for congressional elections, and it will now be the first to adopt it for presidential elections. Maine has moved ahead with plans to become the first state to allow voters to rank candidates in a general presidential election in 2020.

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By Kevin Monagan, U of M-Twin Cities Student

I’m proud to live in a state with one of the most successful ranked-choice voting (RCV) movements in the country. In addition to Minneapolis and St. Paul, which have been using RCV for some time, Saint Louis Park voters will be ranking their ballots for the first time this November. Bloomington, Rochester, Red Wing and Minnetonka all are considering adopting RCV too. That’s great, and I hope that soon we’ll be able to use this much more representative voting system statewide.

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By Marcia Wattson

Another low-turnout primary in Bloomington demonstrates why we need ranked-choice voting. While turnout (11%) was higher than most primary elections, it’s still extremely low and doesn’t represent the diversity of Bloomington’s population.

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For the Bloomington Primary Election (Aug. 13), there are five candidates for Mayor, four candidates for City Council At-Large seat, and three candidates for City Council District 1 seat. Find out where they stand on Ranked Choice Voting.

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By Barbara Speedling

I moved to Bloomington recently from Minneapolis. I appreciate many things about Bloomington, but I miss using ranked-choice voting for citywide elections.

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Six states plan to use Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for their 2020 Democratic primaries or caucuses, including for all early voters in Iowa and Nevada, and all voters in Alaska, Hawaii, Kansas and Wyoming. These states will adapt RCV to Democratic Party rules—last-place candidates will be eliminated and backers of those candidates will have their vote count toward their next choice until all remaining candidates are above the 15 percent vote threshold to win delegates.

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By Sharon Billings

A big thank you to the Bloomington City Council and Charter Commission for holding an informative study session on Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) on May 16. I’m excited that the Bloomington City Council is considering RCV for local elections. I look forward to future public hearings on this topic.

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By Richard Laybourn

Nearly 40 years ago, I ran as a Citizens Party candidate for Congress in the 3rd District. While we were able to disseminate our ideas and be included in panel discussions with the two major parties, there was absolutely no chance to gain a plurality let alone a majority of the vote. Had ranked-choice voting (RCV) been implemented by then, this uncomplicated, non-partisan voting system properly understood would have been advantageous in so many different ways.

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By Minnesota Business Leaders

We are writing to urge the Minnesota Legislature to support the Ranked-Choice Voting Local Options bill that is advancing at the Capitol this session. The bill would grant to statutory jurisdictions (cities, townships, school districts and counties) the same authority home-rule cities currently have to adopt ranked-choice voting if they wish.

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By Laura Calbone

As a resident who believes in empowering voters and making elections more democratic, I’m excited that the Bloomington City Council is considering ranked-choice voting for local elections.

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By Mike Hanks

If our cities, school districts and counties consider adopting the [Ranked Choice Voting] system, we’re sure to hear from voters who don’t think we need to change the system that has served our state for more than 150 years. There’s something to be said for tradition, but given we adapt to change and welcome advancement in so many facets of our life, it’s worth considering a better way to choose our elected leaders.

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By Mike Hanks

When Steve Elkins served on the nonpartisan Bloomington City Council, he realized that it might have been harder to earn, or hold onto, the seat had he been identified by his party.

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Bloomington Mayor Gene Winstead provided written testimony to the State Legislature in support of the Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) Local Options Bill.

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The Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) Local Options bill would give any city or school district in Minnesota the right to adopt RCV if they so choose. Currently, only 15% of cities have that right.

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By Marcia Wattson

Now that we’ve celebrated the founding of our democracy with picnics and fireworks, let’s take a moment to think about what we can do to reduce the growing polarization in politics and government.

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By Editorial Board

Maine's switch to RCV could step up calls for Minnesota to follow suit.

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By Nan Corliss

Elections in Bloomington remind me of someone throwing a lavish party with only a few friends showing up. Did you know that primary turnout for our municipal elections averages a paltry 6 percent here? General election turnout is much higher, but still only about a quarter of our voters.

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By David Zarkin

Write or call your city council representative to vote for ranked-choice voting to fix our dismal turnout problem in primaries.

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By Editorial Board

Ranked-choice voting’s potency as a political reform tool is getting perverse affirmation at the Legislature this session. Legislators loyal to the status quo are behind a move to end RCV in St. Paul and Minneapolis, the only Minnesota cities that use the vote-by-ranking system, and to ban its adoption elsewhere … The [RCV] opponents evidently don’t like what this Editorial Board has seen for some time: RCV has the potential to shift political power away from partisan zealots and aid the formation of centrist consensus.

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By Marcia Wattson

The City of Bloomington held a primary on August 8 for two seats on the City Council. A mere 6.6% of eligible voters turned out to make this decision that will affect all citizens of Bloomington. It’s time to eliminate the low-turnout, high-cost primary in local, off-year city elections and move toward truly representative democracy by implementing Ranked Choice Voting (RCV).

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