Get Involved
There are many ways you can help ensure the success of the Better Ballot Campaign:
- Help lit drop. It couldn't be easier, or more helpful. We need to get our message out city wide. Please pick up a bag of lit and a route in your ward and help IRV win in November! Find the lit pick up location in your ward. You don't need to live in Minneapolis to help! If you would like to see IRV pass in Minneapolis, please help lit drop to make sure voters know about IRV.
- Pair up with another Better Ballot Campaign volunteer to street canvass at strategic locations in Minneapolis, including the coops, Hennepin and Lake and other locations. For a schedule of site and times, and to sign up to canvass, contact info@betterballotcampaign.org. If there's a corner or location near your house that gets high traffic, feel free to volunteer to street canvass that, too. We'll get you the necessary materials.
- Host or co-host a house party.
- Make a financial contribution to the campaign.
- Write a letter to the editor and a commentary to your community paper.
- Talk to others about the Instant Runoff Voting campaign.
- Sign up to endorse advanced voting methods like IRV and PR.
Email info@BetterBallotCampaign.org if you want to become involved in the Better Ballot Campaign in any of these ways, would like to be involved in other ways, or have any questions.
IRV In Your Neighborhood
Help educate your neighborhood about Instant Runoff Voting. If we haven't met with your neighborhood yet, call to schedule a presentation. Click on your neighborhood below to find out when it meets and who to contact. Then contact us at info@betterballotcampaign.org to arrange a speaker.
See map of Minneapolis neighborhoods.
Lit drop
Help get IRV literature out to voters across the city. This is a top priority for the campaign and we need lots of volunteers to get the job done!
We've organized lit dropping to be easy, flexible and convenient - bags of lit and a route are available at any time on porches at pick up locations in each ward.
Each route takes between 1 to 2 hours and you can pick up a route anytime, any day. Go by yourself, with a friend or a group of friends - however you want to do it. There's a sign-in form at each site - let us know who you are and which route you are going on. If you have time another day, come back for another route!
Ward 3: Dakotah Johnson's:
Ward 4: Done through newspaper inserts
Ward 5: Done through newspaper inserts
Ward 6: Contact info@betterballotcampaign.org to get literature to distribute in your apartment building.
Ward 7: Brian Melendez's:
Literature for apartments in Ward 7 available at this location as well. Or contact info@betterballotcampaign.org and we'll deliver lit to you.
Ward 8: DONE!!
Ward 9: DONE!!
Ward 10: Mary Hartnett's:
Ward 11: Jason Stone's:
Ward 13: Lynnell Mickelsen's:
NOTE: If you live in an apartment, contact info@betterballotcampaign to get literature to distribute in your building.
Questions? Contact Eric Pusey at info@betterballotcampaign or 651- 503-3062.
Host a House Party
Hosting your own Better Ballot Campaign house party is a great way to get your friends excited and spread the word about instant runoff voting on the November 2006 ballot in Minneapolis. The campaign will provide a speaker and help with getting it organized. It's fun and easy:
Before the Party:
- Hosting -- Find one or more co-hosts for the event to broaden the invitation list and share the responsibility - all the better if your city and/or state elected officials can co-host.
- Dates -- Find a few dates on your calendar that you think would work and email the Better Ballot Campaign at info@betterballotcampaign.org to coordinate a date for a speaker.
- Invitations -- Invite everyone you know! Send out invitations by email or evite to friends, neighbors, elected officials representing your area, candidates running for office and others to inform them about an opportunity to learn about the Better Ballot Campaign.
- Advertising -- If you wish, the Better Ballot campaign can post the event announcement on its calendar, the Minneapolis Issues Forum, Progressive Calendar, and communications through our coalition partners. Please forward announcement to info@betterballotcampaign.org.
- Plan a Demonstration Election -- A demonstration election using food at the party is an excellent way to illustrate how Instant Runoff Voting works. Desserts are good on the ballot, but you can vote on appetizers, wine, lasagnas, pastries (if you host a breakfast event), or whatever. Once you decide, ask 4 people to contribute whatever is on the ballot, cut into bite-size pieces in sufficient quantities for all attendees to sample each. You will thus have four candidates on the ballot and guests will be asked to vote on the candidates in order of preference – 1, 2, 3, etc.
Recruit a couple of people at the party to coordinate the demonstration election – make sure everyone completes a ballot. Then collect and count the ballots and report the results.
The Better Ballot Campaign will provide training or on-site help if you need. Just contact us at info@betterballotcampaign.org.
- Print forms -- Download and print the following forms to use at the party (email info@betterballotcampaign.org if you have trouble opening any of the documents).
- Sign-up Sheet (PDF)
- Presentation Handout
- Dessert Election Ballot (Word Doc)
- Dessert Election Tally Sheet (Word Doc)
At the party:
Following is a typical party format, but feel free to be creative and do something different.
Start time 6:30 (may vary):
- Sign-in and sign petition
- Mingle, eat, and drink
- Sample desserts (or whatever is on the ballot)
- Vote in the demonstration election
About 7:15
- 20 minute presentation and Q&A about Instant Runoff Voting and the Better Ballot Campaign (speakers provided)
- Demonstration election votes are tallied during the presentation and presented at the end.
Rest of the night
- Continue the fun!
- Make sure everyone signed in and collect any additional signatures
After the Party:
- Email a brief summary of the event (including attendance count and names of people who couldn’t attend but indicated they want to learn more or be involved) to info@betterballotcampaign.org.
- Send sign-in sheets and notarized petition pages to
Better Ballot Campaign
3606 Harriet Ave. S.
Minneapolis MN 55409 - Bask in the glory of knowing you've done your part to improve democracy in Minneapolis!
Donate
Please consider making a financial contribution ($25, $50, $100, $500, more -- everything helps) to help ensure the success of the Minneapolis Better Ballot Campaign.
U.S. Mail:
Better Ballot Campaign
3606 Harriet Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55409
Contribute Online:
We are using PayPal to process online contributions securely, but you don't need to have a PayPal account to donate, and you can choose to make your donation with a credit card or directly from your bank account.
Just click the button below and you will be taken to PayPal's site to make your Better Ballot Campaign donation. Note that you will be asked to fill in "shipping" information so that we have an actual name and address recorded for contributors. When your transaction is complete, click the "Return to Merchant" button, and you will be returned to this site.
Please note that contributions to the Better Ballot Campaign are not tax deductable.