Preserve Local Elections!
Vote No on Amendment 7
Results from November 5, 2024
The Missouri legislature placed on the ballot state constitution Amendment 7,
Media coverage (includes all our press releases for background information)
The Ballot Language
Comments on the three points in the ballot summary:
- The first point has been called “ballot candy” because many people will vote for the whole thing only based on what they read first.
- Note what they say in the second point: limiting voters.
- A “plurality” means the largest number of votes even if it’s well less than half. They’re deliberately setting it up so a candidate could advance if, say, he or she got only a quarter of the vote — even if the majority is against that candidate! He or she wins because there happened to be enough other candidates running to split up the vote.
The Basic Case
Over 50 cities and towns in the United States use ranked choice voting, and exit surveys show voters are happy with it. In each and every case, there was an election where voters decided they wanted to use it. There’s no place where a government imposed this voting system on an unwilling electorate. And no one’s proposing to start doing that now.
Therefore, this amendment would simply remove the option from those who want it. We call the campaign committee “Preserve Local Elections” because the amendment would ban one kind of local election.
Missouri legislators have suggested that voters would be confused – showing they have less confidence in Missouri voters compared to those in other parts of the country. But never fear – we’ve done exit surveys of Missouri voters showing that they also like it by large majorities, and find it easy by even larger majorities.
FAQ about Ranking
Do I have to rank all the candidates? Am I therefore forced to essentially vote for people I positively oppose?
No! If you only like one candidate, can tolerate another, and can’t stand the rest, then rank first the one you like, rank second the one you can tolerate, and then you’re done. You still have more say under this system: if you could have ranked somebody but didn’t, that actually communicates more about your opinion. Leaving lower rankings blank doesn’t mean you skipped voting, but rather communicates something more.
What if I like the voting system just as it is now?
If you prefer to select only one candidate as we do now, you can continue doing so if your jurisdiction goes to ranking. There’s no obligation to rank any more than you want to.
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See more about ranking and Missouri at the Kansas City group, Better Ballot KC
Contact:
Rachel MacNair / info@vote-no-ranking-ban.org / Voice and text: 816-753-2057
Larry Bradley / larry@betterballotkc.org / Voice and text: 402-321-4851
Paid for by Preserve Local Elections, Greg Swartz, Treasurer. As is customary for campaign committees, this will be ending soon.