By David Cary

February 24, 2008--Please help Davis takes its next step towards implementing choice voting. After AB 1294 was vetoed last fall, a two-member subcommittee of the Davis City Council began hearings on adopting a charter. The subcommittee is now presenting its findings and recommendations for consideration by the full City Council. This call to action is for all ranked voting supporters who are within striking distance of Davis.

Please attend the Davis City Council's hearing on the Charter City Subcommittee's report and show your support for choice voting this coming Tuesday, February 26, at 6:30 pm. As the full City Council begins its consideration of a city charter, your presence and voice at the Tuesday meeting can help keep the focus and priority on implementing choice voting in time for the 2010 city council elections.

The agenda for the meeting is at:

http://www.city.davis.ca.us/meetings/councilpackets/20080226/Agenda_02-26-08.pdf

and the subcommittee report is at:

http://www.city.davis.ca.us/meetings/councilpackets/20080226/06_Charter_City.pdf

Some talking points include:

• Thanking the council members for their previous support of choice voting.
• Thanking subcommittee members for their investigation of chartering issues and their report and recommendations.
• It is time for the city council to develop its best recommendation for a charter, so that choice voting can be used in the 2010 city council elections.
• Choice voting was the primary recommendation of the Governance Task Force in 2005.
• Voters approved Measure L in 2006 with 55% of the vote.
• Choice voting produces more accurate results, leads to more stable governance, and gives voters more choice.
• San Francisco CA, Cambridge MA, Burlington VT are already using choice voting.
• More jurisdictions are adopting ranked voting for their elections.
• In Exit polls 82% of San Francisco voters said "They prefer choice voting to the prior system." (For more info click here.)

It is likely that members of the subcommittee will be recommending further consideration of charter that is a variation of the Version 1 charter listed in the report. The subcommittee has made important progress in moving Davis closer towards using choice voting. Let's encourage the full City Council to help make choice voting happen. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

P.S. While this item is one of the earlier items on the agenda, it might not be discussed before 7pm. The address of the meeting is: 23 Russell Boulevard, Davis, CA

David Cary is Secretary of Californians for Electoral Reform and active in Davis Citizens for Representation.

Last revised February 25, 2008