Submitted by FairVote Washington.

On Aug. 2, the San Juan County Council unilaterally blocked four charter amendments from going to the voters. This decision was made behind closed doors without the input of the public. They acted in direct contradiction to the Charter Commission’s mission and direction – namely to ask the residents of San Juan County how they would choose to change the government. Now, a lawsuit has been filed to put power back in the hands of the voters by placing the four charter amendments on the ballot.

Among the charter amendments is one for ranked-choice voting. Ranked-choice voting is a simple-to-use, nonpartisan reform that gives voters more choice, voice, and say in elections. It is used by over 50 jurisdictions across the country and it creates more issue-based campaigns that better serve the voters.

Ron Metcalf of Lopez Island said, “I am so in favor of ranked-choice voting because it is non-partisan and it is such an opportunity for me to vote for who I really want to vote for. It lets me express support for who I really want, and if they don’t get in, I can still support a backup choice.”

RCV is a simple improvement to the way we vote. With RCV, you can rank candidates on your ballot in the order you prefer first choice, second choice, third choice, and so on. If your favorite can’t win, your vote counts for your next choice. Visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq7N2hmX9FI to learn more.