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State News Release |
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| Wisconsin Greens Pleased to See Instant Runoff Voting Bill. |
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Wisconsin Green Party Contacts: Passage of Bill AB 911 would be a first step towards a healthier democracy. The Wisconsin Green Party is pleased to note that AB911, a bill that would allow Preference Voting, or Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) in local, non-partisan elections, was introduced into the Assembly last week. "This bill has the potential to make costly primaries with abysmally low turnouts unnecessary," said Jessica Thill, Spokesperson for the La Crosse Area Greens. "It would also shorten the campaign cycle, and so would reduce the costs of campaigns." IRV allows citizens to rank candidates in order of preference. Under this voting method, whenever there are three or more candidates for a seat in an election, each voter may rank the candidates for an office in their order of preference. If a candidate does not win a majority of the first choice votes cast, the lowest-rankedcandidate is eliminated and all ballots counted again. This process continues until one candidate has a majority of votes cast. IRV allows candidates to be eliminated and the voters' preferencesranked and noted all in one election, rather than in two. It has been used successfully in Europe for years. Although this bill only allows IRV in local non-partisan elections, the Wisconsin Green Party advocates for IRV in all elections, partisan and non-partisan, from local to national. "It is fitting that this bill is labeled AB 911, as our democracy and election system are threatened," said Jill Bussiere, WGP Co-Spokesperson. "This bill is a welcome first step towards reviving our election system, and will help revive our failing democracy. IRV makes it possible for citizens to vote for the candidate whose ideals most closely resemble their own without fear that their vote will ultimately help to elect someone unacceptable. It allows voters to act out of hope, rather than out of fear." "In the 2002 gubernatorial election, Green and Libertarian candidates received record-breaking numbers of votes statewide (and 21% of our votes in La Crosse County). I refuse to believe that this was a fluke, or that my friends and neighbors are incapable of learning to vote in a different, more inclusive way. These numbers show me that more and more of us are willing to dump the two-party system in favor of something more representative, democratic, and fair," said Thill. The Wisconsin Green Party stands on the four pillars of Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Grassroots Democracy, and Nonviolence. For more information
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