Opinion: The best thing California could do is cancel the election Nov 5, 2022 "We also could implement structural changes. Instead of running two redundant sets of elections under the state’s top two system, we could use ranked choice voting with instant runoffs in June, and determine winners in just one round." -- Joe Mathews Joe Mathews is a journalist, an Irvine senior fellow at the New America Foundation, and a contributing writer at the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of The People's Machine: Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of Blockbuster Democracy and coauthor of the book California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix it . Read the full article at: https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/11/05/mathews-the-best-thing-california-could-do-is-cancel-the-election/ All News & Updates

Editorial: Ranked choice voting can help increase voter turnout Jun 14, 2023 Santa Clara County might be on the brink of embracing a new era of democracy. Introduced by Assemblymembers Evan Low and Alex Lee, Assembly Bill 1227 paves the way for implementing ranked choice voting in county elections. "Political experts expect the Senate to pass Lee and Low’s legislation this summer and Gov. Gavin Newsom will most likely sign it. If it increases voter participation as well as saving county money, we hope county supervisors will adopt ranked voting choice starting in 2024." Read the full article at https://morganhilllife.com/2023/06/09/editorial-ranked-voting/ All News & Updates

Opinion: New Bay Area ranked choice voting system worked, should be California model Jan 14, 2023 State’s small cities should take note of November success in Albany’s multi-seat City Council race Albany Mayor Aaron Tiedemann penned an op-ed about the city's successful first election using Proportional Ranked Choice Voting: "Our city just elected two City Council members using a voting system new to California. The process provides a model for small cities across the state that want to diversify their governing boards without carving up their communities into tiny voting districts." Read the full article at https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/01/14/opinion-new-ranked-choice-voting-system-worked-should-be-california-model/ All News & Updates

Editorial: Don’t let Oakland hiccup slow ranked-choice voting momentum Dec 30, 2022 Programming error shouldn’t sway Bay Area from using system that strengthens principle of majority rule The San Jose Mercury News Editorial Board writes: "Voters like it because it saves the cost of a primary election while also giving them much greater say in who is elected. Under the current system, a candidate can win with only 20%-30% of the vote, meaning a majority of voters did not choose the winner. Ranked-choice voting diminishes the chances of extremist candidates who appeal to a small slice of voters. It also encourages voters to research every candidate on the ballot. Those are advantages that every California voter should support." Read the full article at: https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/12/30/editorial-dont-let-oakland-hiccup-slow-ranked-choice-voting-momentum/ All News & Updates

Poll: 64% of voters in Santa Clara County support ranked choice voting Feb 5, 2024 A new EMC Research poll finds that 64% of likely 2024 voters in Santa Clara County support using ranked choice voting (RCV) in countywide and local elections. This represents significant growth in support since 54% of county voters voted for RCV in county elections by approving Measure F in 1998. A new EMC Research poll finds that 64% of likely 2024 voters in Santa Clara County support using Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in countywide and local elections. This represents significant growth in support since 54% of county voters voted for RCV in county elections by approving Measure F in 1998 . Read the poll memo Even before hearing any explanation of Ranked Choice Voting, 56% of poll respondents supported using RCV to elect countywide officials like the Board of Supervisors. After hearing a brief explanation of how RCV works, that support increased to 64%. Large majorities of voters in Mountain View (70%), San Jose (63%), and Sunnyvale (70%) also want to use RCV to elect their cities’ officials. “Voters from across Santa Clara County want ranked choice voting because they know it will give them better representation, less toxic politics, and more choices on the ballot,” said California RCV Institute Executive Director Marcela Miranda-Caballero. “This poll proves that support for ranked choice voting has only grown in Santa Clara County since residents here first voted to adopt it 25 years ago. Ranked choice voting is already making elections better in several cities across California. The Board of Supervisors should listen to the people and bring RCV to Santa Clara County.” One of the most notable benefits of RCV is increased representation of historically underrepresented communities. Notably, 68% of poll respondents who request a Spanish-language ballot when they vote said they support the use of RCV in countywide elections before hearing an explanation. That support jumps to 73% after respondents hear the explanation. Ranked choice voting (RCV) is a simple reform that can lead to significant benefits for our cities, state, and country. RCV lets you rank candidates 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on instead of being forced to choose just one candidate. If your first choice can’t win, your vote automatically counts for your second choice. It's a commonsense upgrade from the broken single-choice voting approach that favors entrenched interests and underlies so much political dysfunction. Read EMC Research's poll memo for more details. The poll was conducted online and by phone from Dec 7-17, 2023 and included 400 likely voters countywide. The overall margin of error is 4.9 percentage points. All News & Updates