Yes on Cincinnati issue 8
Most TDP readers know that Cincinnati will vote on proportional representation (STV/choice voting) in November. This is an historic and crucial reform opportunity.
The Cincinnati Better Ballot Campaign runs a website worth sharing. If someone you know lives in Cincinnati, pass it along.
Anthony Lorenzo on 17 Sep 2008 at 3:42 pm #
Thank you Jack for helping publicize the important effort to improve the election system in the City of Cincinnati and return to the better system used to break up Republican Party Boss control in 1925: proportional representation.
Yes, that was the reason Charter and other partners started this campaign back when Cincinnati districts were gerrymandered to death to favor Republicans. Barack Obama also would not be the nominee if the DNC of each respective state didn’t use proportional allocation of delegates.
PR is a system that ensures better representation of African Americans, women, and also increases voter turnout (10%-15% in research). Cincinnati enjoyed a voter turnout of 70% or higher in the last election PR was used (1955), yet today only 28% voter turnout in the city. This is a problem with our current system.
9X, the system currently employed, was promoted by Republicans and allows 50% of the voters, if they vote for the same 9 candidates, to win 100% of the representation on City Council. Also, it doesn’t allow voters to rank order those choices at all, and your vote for one helps defeat your favorite if you cast all 9 votes. This causes voters to bullet vote here and cast an average of 7 votes, rather than the 9 they are given. Many voters vote and elect no one. PR fixes that problem, as each representative will have reached the support of 10% of the voters in the city and will speak to their constituency’s interests.
We welcome a thorough public dialog on this issue and thank you for starting that.
MSS on 06 Oct 2008 at 3:50 pm #
Is there even an organized ‘no’ campaign? I was looking for one on the Web (to give my students both a pro and con argument), but I could not locate one.
Anthony Lorenzo on 10 Oct 2008 at 10:11 am #
Outside my job description to publicize the opposition. Good luck with finding those scared politicians, party bosses, and wealthy business interest folks.
Jack on 10 Oct 2008 at 10:14 am #
MSS, I do not know of an organized opposition website. Nor do I know of an opposition organization. The small-scale opposition I’m aware of involves technical challenges to the effort more than persuading voters to oppose the principle.