June electoral reform news
Dan Johnson-Weinberger instantrunoff at yahoo.com
Wed, 27 Jun 2001 06:44:13 -0000
June news on electoral reform in the Midwest
Compiled by Dan Johnson-Weinberger, Director of the Midwest Democracy
Center
This is the electronic newsletter of the Midwest Democracy Center.
The Midwest Democracy Center is a non-profit, low budget advocacy
group that works to make our government more democratic and
representative. John B. Anderson is the Honorary Chair of the Center.
Our main goal is to revive cumulative voting for the Illinois House
of Representatives (used from 1870 ? 1980) so political minorities
will have some representation. Another goal is to implement instant
runoff voting for executive elections to end spoiler candidacies and
to ensure the majority gets to pick the winner in statewide and local
races. We also favor same-day voter registration with anti-fraud
protections so more people can participate in elections. Our website
is www.midwestdemocracy.org and our telephone number is 312.587.7060.
If you don't want this newsletter, email MDCMonthly-
unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
In this issue:
Upcoming events (7/10 dinner; 7/4-7/8 at Taste of Chicago)
Intern report (looking for an internship? Join us at the Center)
Instant runoff voting update
CUMULATIVE VOTING FOR THE ILLINOIS HOUSE
Jim Edgar ? Abner Mikva report on cumulative voting coming out soon
After months of research and deliberation, the blue-ribbon,
bipartisan Commission on Alternative Electoral Systems led by former
Governor Jim Edgar and former White House counsel Abner Mikva will be
releasing their report in the next two weeks. The commission studied
whether the Illinois House of Representatives should use cumulative
voting in three-member districts (so the political minority in each
part of the state will be represented) or should stick with the
winner-take-all system we have used since 1980 where only one person
is elected from a district and `represents' the people who voted
against him. Dozens of prominent state leaders gathered to consider
this issue, and the report's findings should provide a huge boost to
the drive to revive cumulative voting. The Center will make copies of
the report available as soon as we have them; please contact the
Center if you'd like a copy. For more information, see
www.igpa.uiuc.edu
We're working to build support for state legislation that would put
cumulative voting on the November 2002 ballot. The legislation is
HJRCA 4 (and we'll be thanking all the state representatives that
have co-sponsored the bill July 10th in Chicago, see below). We are
hoping to get the bill voted out of the House Executive Committee
this fall during veto session. See www.prairienet.org/icpr for
details.
City councils should also use cumulative voting, just as Peoria IL
does. There is an Illinois state law that allows citizens to put a
referendum on the city ballot calling for cumulative voting ("the
minority representation plan") in three-member districts for city
councils. We hope to work with people all over the state that would
like to put cumulative voting on the city ballot. The citation (for
all the lawyers on the list) is 65 ILCS 5/3.1-15-30. Call the Center
if you're interested in cumulative voting for your town.
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING UPDATE
Legislation to use instant runoff voting has been introduced in 12
states, including Minnesota. We are still hoping to get legislation
in Illinois and Wisconsin. The city of Eugene Oregon voted to put
instant runoff voting for local elections on the September 2001
ballot. The Rules Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
unanimously voted to put IRV on the March 2002 city ballot; the full
Board of Supervisors will decide in July whether city voters will
have the chance to implement instant runoff voting. A petition drive
in Minneapolis for IRV is underway. See www.instantrunoff.com for
more details.
UPCOMING EVENTS
July 10th dinner in Chicago for cumulative voting
You are invited to a casual dinner to thank our state representatives
who have supported cumulative voting. The dinner is Tuesday July 10th
from 5 pm to 7 pm. It is at Leona's restaurant in Chicago, just north
of the Loop, at 646 North Franklin. RSVPs are appreciated, but not
necessary. Call the Center at 312.587.7060. Meet other advocates of
cumulative voting and the staff at the Center (mostly volunteer) that
are working to improve our democracy. There is no charge for
attending the dinner; everyone will pay for their own meal. Dress is
casual.
Instant runoff voting at Taste of Chicago July 4 through 8.
The Center's crew will be out in force during the latter part of
Taste of Chicago, holding a mock election to choose the greatest
American president of all time. Like any election with lots of
candidates, we should use instant runoff voting, to make sure the
winners has the broadest support possible. We can use help conducting
the election at the Taste! If interested, please call the Center at
312.587.7060 or email at djw@fairvote.org ? you can volunteer for as
little as an hour by holding a clipboard with the paper ballots and
asking people if they'd like to vote. We'll be out during the early
afternoon and the dinner hour. We'll congregate at the north end of
the Taste ? call 312.933.4890 the day of for last-minute details and
schedules.
Pro-democracy convention in Philadelphia this weekend
We'll be sending a car to Philadelphia Thursday night to join up with
the national Pro-Democracy Convention. See www.pro-democracy.com for
details. Organizers are expecting hundreds of people to gather for
workshops and organizing on a Voters Bill of Rights
(www.votersbillofrights.org) including instant runoff voting and
proportional representation. If you'd like to join us, feel free to
come along ? and if you know anyone on the East Coast who might want
to attend, send them this newsletter. Finally, we'll be meeting at
the Midwest Democracy Center Thursday night at 7:30 pm to depart for
Philadelphia at 9 pm, so even if you can't make the trip, feel free
to come to the Center Thursday night.
PAST EVENTS REPORT
The Center participated in the Printers' Row Book Fair, selling books
on electoral reform and holding an instant runoff voting election on
the greatest president of all time, collecting over 400 votes in two
days of very cold weather. Lincoln won, but did not earn a majority
until every other candidate was eliminated. We also had a spot in the
Pride Parade last Sunday, with an estimated crowd of over 350,000.
For a picture of our contingent (thanks to Outreach Director Matt
Galloway for leading the charge) see
http://pages.prodigy.net/rjmatter/ccm/pride01/pride01.jpg
INTERN REPORT (JOIN US)
The Center is always looking for interns who can devote some time to
improving our democracy. Here is a quick run-down of what some of our
interns are doing.
*Hannah Podlevsky, a graduate student at the University of Illinois,
Chicago, is delving into Chicago Heights, the southern suburb where a
federal judge imposed cumulative voting in seven-member districts for
the city council after a 9-year lawsuit filed under the Voting Rights
Act. That decision was overturned on appeal, and now Chicago Heights
is trying to find a way to fairly represent the racial and political
diversity of the city. Hannah is writing a long narrative of the
history of the litigation (a fascinating story) and how cumulative
voting is a race-neutral solution to the persistent problem of fair
representation.
*Kate Goshorn, a recent graduate of DePaul University, is working to
spread the message of electoral reform to her home state of Indiana,
drawing on the Illinois experience of cumulative voting as a model
for the Indiana legislature.
*Ranjit Bhagwat, an undergraduate at the University of Illinois,
Urbana, is concentrating on outreach to Asian-Americans in the
Chicago region. There has never been an Asian-American state
representative, state senator or even a city alderman in Illinois
(with the exception of a few very small suburbs) even though Asian-
Americans are often 20 or 30 percent of the population of some cities
and neighborhoods. Ranjit is working to show Asian-Americans that
with a better voting system that elects political minorities as well
as political majorities, they can elect one of their own for the
first time in the history of Illinois.
*Erin Spitzer, an undergraduate at Michigan State University, is
organizing in her state of Wisconsin. She is particularly interested
in her hometown of Kenosha, and as they use runoff elections for
local races, Kenosha is a prime target for instant runoff voting to
save the expense of a separate election.
WISH LIST
With several interns working with the Center, we are now officially
in a computer crunch. A decent Windows based computer with an
Ethernet connection would be very valuable. We also would like the
chance to speak to your group. If you can gather ten people in a room
to consider how to improve our democracy, we'd like to come out and
speak to you. Let us know if you can help us with a computer so our
interns can work effectively this summer or can help set up a
speaking engagement with a group.
The other wish list item is that you continue to lobby your
representatives to improve our democracy. Remember, it's their job to
listen to you.
Finally, become a dues-paying member of the Midwest Democracy Center.
We are funded by small investments of $10, $20 and $50 (and a few
larger investments) by people that want to see real electoral reform,
and recognize that the volunteers at the Center are actually building
the consensus for better voting systems. Members receive our postal
newsletter edited by Kevin O'Malley and the chance to vote for the
Board of Directors (the election will be in July). None of the
Center's funds go to pay staff so your $20 goes a very long way. You
can donate online at www.midwestdemocracy.org with our paypal account
or by sending a check to the Midwest Democracy Center. Thanks for
your interest and support.