Majority winner in a Single Higher Turnout General Election and Other Impacts of Ranked Choice Voting on St. Louis Park’s Municipal Elections
What: Media briefing on the impact of Ranked Choice Voting on the November 5, 2019 municipal elections in St. Louis Park, including opportunities for questions by members of the news media.
Where: St. Louis Park Council Chamber, City Hall, 5005 Minnetonka Blvd, St. Louis Park
When: Friday, November 8, 2019 at 3 p.m.
Who: St. Louis Park Councilmember Thom Miller and former Mayor and FairVote Minnesota board member Gail Dorfman who both advocated for the adoption of Ranked Choice Voting in St. Louis Park will facilitate comment from candidates and newly elected local officials about the impact of Ranked Choice Voting on elections in St. Louis Park. We will also provide an update on the St. Paul RCV elections that will be tabulated on Friday. Miller and Dorfman will be joined by FairVote Minnesota executive director Jeanne Massey, Council Members-elect Nadia Mohamed and Larry Kraft, and at-large council candidate Deb Brinkman. We are waiting for confirmation from other candidates, elected officials and city election officials.
Why: St. Louis Park had its first experience using RCV this year, following adoption by the city council in 2018. The city council at-large A race went to an RCV runoff, with candidate Larry Kraft emerging with 51.2% of the votes in Round 3 of counting. See election results here. St. Louis Park voters are demonstrating that they understand and like Ranked Choice Voting. RCV is proven to provide voters with more choice and more voice in a single decisive election in November. Ranked Choice Voting, an election process reform, is moving forward in cities throughout Minnesota and across the country who want to increase the diversity of candidates, civility of campaigns and voter participation. An analysis of the impact it is having on our local democratic process is beneficial as more communities explore RCV for their elections.
About FairVote Minnesota: FairVote Minnesota (www.fairvotemn.org) is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to a better democracy through public education and advocacy. Our focus is on voting systems that lead to greater competitiveness, better representation and more participation in elections.
Media Contacts:
- Gail Dorfman: | (612) 998-5214 l gailadorfman@gmail.com
- Council Member Thom Miller | (612) 991-1599 l tmiller@stlouispark.org
- Jeanne Massey | (612) 850-6897 | jeanne.massey@fairvotemn.org
