There’s a bill that I very much don’t like that has passed out of the Senate Ethics committee, to head to the Senate. SB355 is a bill that very simply outlaws Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) from being used in any local, state, or federal election in Georgia.
I’ve written before about RCV. I’ve used it in several polls, both informal and formal. It really does make ballots better. If you haven’t tried it out, give it a go with an informal demo poll.
At the very least, local governments should have the freedom to make up their own minds on this issue.
Friends, please write to or call your State Senator and ask them politely to oppose this bill. You can find their contact information here.
I just wrote this e-mail to my State Senator:
Dear Senator Harbin,
I am a voter in your district, living in Tyrone, GA. I am writing to ask you to please oppose SB355, which would ban the use of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) by local governments.
RCV is maligned by its opponents as a "threat", and "confusing to voters". I believe that these accusations are very much unfounded. I have taken a number of ranked choice polls, both informally and for business purposes. I have always found the ballots to be clear and easy to understand. On top of that, I have found the results to be not only clear but in fact more informative and insightful than results that are available from single-option-only polls.
At the very least, I believe that local governments should have the ability to choose a neutral voting system that is acceptable to their people. Making one increasingly popular option illegal is an attack on voters and municipalities.
Ranked Choice has already been in use for military and overseas ballots in Georgia, and according to the Secretary of State, the system has worked well.
For these reasons, I again am asking you to oppose SB355.
Thank you,
Danny Dolan