St Paul Goes For Ranked Choice Voting!

by: Grace Kelly

Tue Nov 03, 2009 at 23:42:44 PM CST

Final Results
YES  17083 52.45%
NO   15486 47.55%

Actually, I am surprised! It is a practical idea whose time has come.  Ranked Choice Voting (RCV)will also the provide financial savings of skipping a low-turnout primary. However St Paul tends to be cautious!

The attitude of St Paul can be summed up in this comment, "I'm still not sure what I think of ranked choice voting (RCV) but I think it's just prudent for St. Paul to wait and see how it works in Minneapolis." On the other hand, I and others argues that there many good government practices that Minneapolis manages to mess up, just because it is Minneapolis. St Paul is a much more different culture than Minneapolis, based on more caution, with good reason for St Paul has a much smaller tax base. St Paul has a culture more based on personal relationships and trust built over a long time.

Fiscal prudence of St Paul is pushing for ranked choice voting. Last year, we could have eliminated a primary. If RCV passes, then our St Paul legislators would have obtain a state legal change to allow the school board to be included, which is given a high likelihood.

I think the Minneapolis experience has pointed out one change that should be made to ranked choice ballot. Basically someone has to show more effort than just plunking down a filing fee. I know there are people on the ballot who did not campaign, and it seems that space on a ballot should be earned. I would suggest having a 500 signature petition requirement. That would reduce the numbers to more manageable levels where every candidate is actually campaigning.

Interestingly, the RCV voting discussions have turned more on Facebook, which shows how our political discussions have been changing. On Facebook, arguments have seen RCV as creating more openness by allowing many different candidates and with some contradiction as helping the incumbents by having too many people opposing the incumbent to be effective. I find the we-are-too-stupid-to-have-more-choices argument particularly offensive. Most of RCV opposition seems to be just plain resistance to change.

St Paul showed courage today in passing RCV. I expect that St Paul will come up with a elegant simple solution for RCV or just take the time to do it right. However St Paul does do RCV, I have faith it will be well done! I am so proud of St Paul today!