Adopted at the September 9, 2023 membership meeting.
A Resolution Supporting Ranked Choice Voting for the Presidential Primary in 2028
WHEREAS voter involvement in democracy is contingent on the belief that their vote means something; and
WHEREAS 25% of Washington State’s Democratic presidential primary voters effectively “wasted” their vote in 2020 because they cast their ballot for a candidate who dropped out of the race before election day; and
WHEREAS Washington state had the highest rate of “wasted” votes in the nation; and
WHEREAS Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) helps solve the problem of wasted votes by allowing voters to vote for multiple candidates in order of preference so that their vote may count for a candidate still in the race or achieving a threshold sufficient to be allocated delegates at the close of the primary; and
WHEREAS the Democratic National Committee approved every RCV delegate selection plan submitted in the most recent presidential cycle, and Maine is compelled by state law to use RVC in their 2024 state-run presidential primary.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the 34th District Democrats call on their representatives to support the passage of legislation to allow voters to rank their presidential preferences in the presidential primary in 2028.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the 34th District Democrats call upon the legislature to pass and the Governor to sign the RCV legislation for the 2028 presidential primary .
Submitted by Ann Martin, August 2023