By Bob Richard

Wednesday, October 5, 2005

Our third monthly meeting on Wednesday, September 28 was attended by six ranked voting activists. Here is my (completely unofficial) understanding of what we accomplished.

(1) Our next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, October 26 at 7:00 pm, at College of Marin, Student Services Building (same place as before). Please publicize this meeting to everyone you know who is interested in ranked voting.

(2) We reviewed the following action items from previous meetings.

*** Conduct an IRV election to choose a name for ourselves. The winning name, announced on September 8, is Marin Ranked Voting. We still haven't decided whether to abbreviate it MRV or MaRV.

*** Schedule speaker training workshop provided by CfER. Members present listed possible dates during October. Two absent members who had previously expressed interested in the workshop will be contacted for possible dates before getting back to CfER.

*** Four members will call aides to four of the five supervisors, as their constitutents, to ask about their positions on IRV. One supervisor expressed support for IRV, two have not responded yet, and one was not contacted.

*** Develop literature with local content immediately. This will include information on charter vs. general law status and implications for adopting ranked voting. A proposed trifold brochure was discussed at length. A two-person subcommittee was authorized to complete revisions. No action yet on the more detailed piece on charters, SB 596, etc.

*** Find out whether FairVote has updated its old leaflets, and also find out whether FairVote or CfER leaflets can be printed with blank space where the organization's name goes, so we can customize them with our own name or logo. Message delivered to FairVote (who are receptive), but not yet delivered to CfER.

*** Table at a Bob Fitrakis/Steven Rosenfeld presentation on Ohio 2004 on September 14. We will suggest, through CfER channels, that ranked voting activists in Davis and Oakland do the same. The tabling went well; I spoke briefly on the need for election officials to include ranked voting capability in future purchases.

*** Contact office holders and candidates who are known IRV supporters, to start a process of getting their input on strategy and tactics. One person contacted expessed in interest in learning more, and a meeting is scheduled. No action on two others.

(3) We discussed these new topics.

*** Getting endorsements. We need to build and publish a list of endorsers, and need a statement we are asking folks to endorse. We agreed that it should state the objectives of SB 596 without naming the bill itself. A draft will be circulated for comment.

*** Marin's Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) has used IRV to fill two of the seven seats since 2001. We will produce literature and a page on our website on this. FairVote is interested in publicising it on their website.

*** New project in Californians for Electoral Reform (CfER) to document what would be involved in running a statewide initiative campaign, either for a Citizens' Assembly based on the British Columbia model, or for a specific full representation plan.

(4) We did *not* review these previous action items.

*** Meet with office holders who are already known to be IRV supporter, to get their thoughts on strategy and tactics.

*** Begin promoting ranked voting for College of Marin (COM) student government elections.

*** Schedule educational presentation to Marin chapter of Democrats for America (DFA).

*** Work with county registrar Michael Smith to establish citizen's advisory committee on election administration. (And then get ourselves represented on it.)

*** Make contact with SEIU's Political Action Committee about their participation, and/or about making a presentation to their membership.

(5) We did *not* discuss the following new topics.

*** Branding (logo, artwork, letterhead).

*** Proposed website.

*** Our own endorsement of SB 596; text of letter to Sen. Bowen.

*** Email lists (listservs) for news and discussion.

*** Marin County Youth Commission and Youth Vote program in schools.

*** Prop. 77.

(6) I said last month that CfER was working on a statement on Prop. 77. You can read it here.

Bob Richard is Marin County Coordinator for Californians for Electoral Reform.