Virtual event at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckfu-trzIiHt0O8aI36zfKLdht9SQR3IU0
After the Vermont Senate passed S. 32, the ranked choice voting bill, last spring, the League of Women Voters of Vermont was deflated to see the House Committee on Government Operations tack the RCV bill onto another elections bill that we couldn't support, and the majority of senators didn't support.
Ranked choice voting would help early voters have a voice in our presidential primaries starting in 2028, even if a candidate dropped out of the race after a voter cast an early or mail-in ballot (like most Vermonters serving in the military) but before election day. And if expanded to other races in later years, we could have more choices, as less-well-known candidates wouldn't feel compelled to drop out of a race for fear of causing the candidate least like them to win.
Short term goals:
1) Allow Vermonters serving in the military and other early voters to have their votes count even if a candidate drops out of the race after the voter casts their ballot but before Vermont's presidential primary/town meeting election day.
2) Allow towns to choose whether they want RCV without the legislature and governor having to approve it.
3) A final winner with majority support, so we aren't risking "wasting" our vote if we vote for who we believe is the best candidate, if that might risk throwing the race to our least favorite candidate who has the most votes but less than 50%.
Long term goals:
1) More candidates, so people aren't forced to choose between two candidates they don't like.
2) Less negative campaigning, and less money needed to counter negative campaigning.
3) More focus on issues during campaigning.
4) More focus on finding common ground to solve problems while legislating and governing.
S. 32 still exists. The House could choose to take it up again. What do we want to do to try to achieve RCV in Vermont? Please attend a video conference meeting on Thursday, January 11, at 7 PM to provide your input and help make a plan.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckfu-trzIiHt0O8aI36zfKLdht9SQR3IU0
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
If you can't attend that meeting but are interested in volunteering, or learning more about it, email Betty Keller at bkeller@lwvofvt.org.
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