To the Editor:

In late August, Minnetonka residents are more focused on going to the lake and the state fair than local elections, but we want you to know there’s an important city question on the ballot this fall: an effort to repeal ranked choice voting for our local elections. We urge our Minnetonka neighbors to vote no on repeal and save ranked choice voting.

August should be a time for summer fun and the state fair, but if RCV is repealed, we would revert back to the old system which required a municipal primary in August. Anytime a race for mayor or city council had more than two candidates. In past Minnetonka primaries, only about 5% of registered voters actually voted in that primary, and this 5% determined who the rest of Minnetonka could vote for in the general election. RCV eliminated that municipal primary and combined these two elections into one instant runoff election in November, so that more voters have the opportunity to choose from more candidates.

Plus ranked choice voting is easy. Just like you can rank your favorite state fair foods, you can rank your favorite candidates: 1, 2, 3. Let’s say Sweet Martha’s Cookies are your favorite, but you like other foods too. Then you’d rank Sweet Martha’s number one, then maybe cheese curds second, and mini doughnuts third. Or say you only like cookies and don’t care about any other foods. You could just rank Sweet Martha’s number one and be done. You have the freedom to choose as many or as few as you want.

So we’re glad we didn’t need to vote in a municipal primary at the start of this month, and we’re looking forward to going to the state fair at its end. If you go to the fair, we encourage you to take some time to rank your favorite foods, rides, or other attractions. And we invite those who want to repeal RCV to rank their favorite cookies or curds. They’ll see just how easy it is.